Lilly and Novo Advance Amylin Drugs in Obesity Treatment Race

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are developing new amylinbased medicines as they look beyond GLP1 drugs in obesity and diabetes treatment. The companies are testing injections, pills, and combination therapies that target a different hormone pathway involved in appetite and fullness. Lilly recently reported phase 2 data for its experimental drug eloralintide, which appeared to add weightloss benefits when combined with tirzepatide in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The company said it is preparing larger phase 3 studies, while analysts see potential for both standalone and combination use if later trials confirm the early results. Novo Nordisk is pursuing a similar strategy with cagrilintide and amycretin, and other drugmakers including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Viking Therapeutics are also working on amylin therapies. Researchers say the approach could help patients who do not respond well enough to GLP1 medicines, but the drugs still need more testing on safety and tolerability before they can be widely used.