LILLY'S TIRZEPATIDE SUPERIOR TO WEGOVY® (SEMAGLUTIDE) IN HEAD-TO-HEAD TRIAL SHOWING AN AVERAGE WEIGHT LOSS OF 20.2% VS. 13.7%

• Participants using tirzepatide lost 50.3 lbs. (22.8 kg) and participants on Wegovy lost 33.1 lbs. (15.0 kg), on average
• SURMOUNT-5, a first-of-its-kind head-to-head trial, compared tirzepatide, a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, to Wegovy, a mono GLP-1 receptor agonist

TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2024 /CNW/ - Eli Lilly Canada today announced topline results from the SURMOUNT-5 Phase 3b open-label randomized clinical trial. Tirzepatide provided a 47% greater relative weight loss compared to Wegovy^® (semaglutide). On average, tirzepatide led to a superior weight loss of 20.2% compared to 13.7% with Wegovy.ⁱ At 72 weeks, tirzepatide was superior to Wegovy on both the primary endpoint and all five key secondary endpoints in this trial of adults living with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related medical problem and without diabetes.

“This study demonstrated that at maximum tolerated dose tirzepatide (10 mg or 15 mg) was superior to maximum tolerated semaglutide (1.7 mg or 2.4 mg) in a head-to-head trial,” says Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine physician, assistant professor at the University of Toronto and the lead author of the Canadian Obesity Guidelines.  "We now understand that obesity is not a lack of will power, but a medical condition that can be treated with lifestyle modification along with medical interventions, and that can include pharmacotherapy.  This research advances the field of obesity medicine and gives patients greater options to treat this chronic condition."

In addition, in a key secondary endpoint, 31.6% of people taking tirzepatide achieved at least 25% body weight loss compared to 16.1% of those taking Wegovy.

"The head-to-head results of SURMOUNT-5 demonstrate the power of tirzepatide with a statistically significant, clinically meaningful difference in weight loss compared to semaglutide," says Kenneth Custer, Lilly Canada President, and General Manager. "Lilly Canada is excited about the potential for tirzepatide to improve outcomes for people living with obesity."

The overall safety profile of tirzepatide in SURMOUNT-5 was similar to previously reported SURMOUNT trials. The most commonly reported adverse events in SURMOUNT-5 for both tirzepatide and Wegovy were gastrointestinal-related and were generally mild to moderate in severity. This trial was not designed to examine differences in adverse events between tirzepatide and Wegovy.  

Lilly will continue to evaluate the SURMOUNT-5 results, which will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at a medical congress next year. Tirzepatide is approved in Canada under the brand name Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes. Tirzepatide is not currently approved by Health Canada for chronic weight management.

About SURMOUNT-5  
SURMOUNT-5 (NCT05822830) was a multi-center, randomized, open-label, Phase 3b trial comparing the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide to Wegovy^® (semaglutide) in adults with obesity, or overweight with at least one of the following comorbidities: hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or cardiovascular disease, who did not have diabetes. The trial randomized 751 participants across the U.S. and Puerto Rico in a 1:1 ratio to receive maximum tolerated dose of tirzepatide (10 mg or 15 mg) or Wegovy (1.7 mg or 2.4 mg). The primary objective of the study was to demonstrate tirzepatide's superiority in percent change from baseline in body weight at 72 weeks compared to Wegovy.  

About tirzepatide  
Tirzepatide is a once-weekly dual GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) receptor and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist. Tirzepatide is a single molecule that activates the body's receptors for GIP and GLP-1, which are natural incretin hormones. Both GIP and GLP-1 receptors are found in areas of the human brain important for appetite regulation. Tirzepatide decreases calorie intake, and the effects are likely mediated by affecting appetite. Studies of tirzepatide in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in morbidity/mortality in obesity (MMO) are ongoing.

Mounjaro^® (tirzepatide) is approved as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. As the first and only Health Canada-approved GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, Mounjaro is a single molecule that activates the body's receptors for GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). Tirzepatide is not approved in Canada for chronic weight management.

About Lilly Canada
Eli Lilly and Company is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by Colonel Eli Lilly, who was committed to creating high quality medicines that meet people's needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to people who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and contribute to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism.

Eli Lilly Canada was established in 1938, the result of a research collaboration with scientists at the University of Toronto which eventually produced the world's first commercially available insulin. Our work focuses on oncology, diabetes, autoimmunity, neurodegeneration, and pain. To learn more about Lilly Canada, please visit us at www.lilly.ca.

SOURCE Eli Lilly Canada Inc.

Media Contact: Ethan Pigott, [email protected], 416-770-5843