(Reuters) -Eli Lilly said on Thursday its experimental obesity drug met the main goals in two late-stage studies, with the drug helping patients reduce 26.6% weight on average in one of the studies following intensive lifestyle changes.
The company said both the late-stage studies also achieved all secondary goals.
Overall safety of the drug tirzepatide, sold under the name Mounjaro for diabetes, was similar to that observed in previous studies.
The results follow strong data for the drug from two earlier trials.
A large trial showed that a high dose of tirzepatide helped people with type 2 diabetes, who were also obese or overweight, to lose nearly 16% of their body weight, or over 34 pounds (15 kg) on average, the company said in April.
Lilly reported last year that a trial of the drug in people who were obese or overweight, but did not have diabetes, found it led to weight loss of 22.5%, or about 52 pounds (24 kg).
(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Shounak Dasgupta)
