On Wednesday, Eli Lilly received the expected approval of its GLP-1 analog Tirzepatide for the treatment of obesity in the United States.

This is according to an announcement from the US Food and Drug Administration, FDA.

The drug is already on the market for the treatment of type 2 diabetes under the name Mounjaro, but will be marketed as an anti-obesity drug under the name Zepbound.

The FDA has approved the anti-obesity treatment Zepbound for adults who have a BMI over 30 or a BMI over 27 combined with at least one related condition.

In addition to taking the drug, patients must reduce their calorie intake and increase physical activity, according to the authorities.

Tirzepatide is already a major contributor to Eli Lilly’s growth with a 44% increase in third-quarter sales, but this is expected to accelerate further when the drug is also launched for the treatment of obesity, where analysts believe it is at least as effective, if not more so, than Novo Nordisk’s successful Wegovy.

Back in March, The Wall Street Journal highlighted Tirzepatide, and Julio Rosenstock, clinical professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, called Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy a gorilla in the treatment of obesity, but highlighted Elli Lilly’s drug as the better one.

”Tirzepatide is really King Kong,” he told The Wall Street Journal.

In clinical studies, the average patient over 17 months lost 48 pounds when taking Tirzepatide at the highest dose of 15 milligrams, while patients taking 5 milligrams lost 34 pounds. Meanwhile, the study of 2,539 patients showed that one in three on the highest dose actually lost 58 pounds during the period, which was equivalent to 25% of their body weight.

That statistic, which also showed an average weight loss of 22.5% over 72 weeks, surpasses Wegovy, which has delivered an average weight loss of 17.0% in its studies.

Shares in Eli Lilly are up 1.3% on Wednesday. Novo Nordisk’s secondary listing falls by 1.6% in the US despite a plus of 1.4% in Danish trading.

(Translated using DeepL with additional editing by Mads Oddershede)