Eli Lilly Launches Phase 3 Trials for Obesity Drug
The pharmaceutical company is testing a new combination therapy designed to improve weight loss and blood sugar regulation.
Updated on Oct. 25, 2026 in Weight Loss
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Eli Lilly has initiated two global phase 3 clinical trials, known as AMPLIFY-1 and AMPLIFY-2, for its obesity drug candidate EloRA TZP. The combination treatment utilizes turepatide and eloralintide to target hormonal pathways involved in appetite and satiety.
Why it matters
Lilly is investigating whether this combination therapy can surpass the weight loss efficacy of its existing treatments while refining the dosing schedule to manage patient tolerability. The company aims to address gastrointestinal side effects that led to higher discontinuation rates in early trials.
In phase 2 trials, the highest-dose group achieved 23.3% weight loss compared to 14.8% for the 15 mg turepatide monotherapy group. Discontinuation rates due to adverse reactions in the combination group reached 27.0%, significantly higher than the 2.9% observed in the monotherapy control.
The players
Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly is a global pharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for metabolic diseases and obesity.
The details
EloRA TZP combines turepatide, which activates GIP and GLP-1 receptors, with eloralintide, a hormone mimic that signals satiety and delays gastric emptying. The phase 2 study, which lasted 48 weeks, also demonstrated a reduction in glycated hemoglobin by up to 2.9 percentage points.
Timeline
The phase 2 clinical trial lasted 48 weeks.
The phase 3 trials are scheduled for completion by November 2029.
Health Landscape
This drug candidate marks a strategic pivot from the retatrutide clinical development program by targeting superior weight loss through an amylin-based mechanism. The study aims to build upon the benchmarks established by previous GLP-1 and multi-agonist drug development.
Patients currently managing obesity or type 2 diabetes may eventually gain access to a treatment with higher weight loss potential if the phase 3 trials prove successful. However, the higher discontinuation rates reported in early tests indicate that gastrointestinal side effects remain a significant consideration for those evaluating new therapies.
The takeaway
The transition to phase 3 trials marks a critical step in determining if this combination therapy can balance weight loss efficacy with improved patient tolerability. Individuals tracking these developments should focus on future data releases regarding adverse event management and overall trial outcomes.
Further reading
For more information on ongoing medical developments in this field, visit the Weight Loss section.
More information
Review trial protocols and status through the Clinical trials registry and status search.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 조선일보.
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