Eloralintide, a once-weekly injectable medication developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, has shown remarkable effectiveness in a Phase 2 clinical trial, leading to up to 20% weight loss in adults who are overweight or obese. The drug, which targets a different biological pathway than current GLP-1 medications, has generated significant interest in the medical community. The study, which involved 263 participants and was funded by Eli Lilly, showed that after 48 weeks of treatment, most participants lost between 9.5% and 20.1% of their body weight, significantly outperforming the placebo group, which saw only a 0.4% weight loss. The study was published in The Lancet and presented at ObesityWeek 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Eloralintide works by mimicking the pancreas hormone amylin, which helps regulate digestion, appetite, and glucose levels after meals. Unlike GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, which have been widely adopted for weight management, eloralintide is a selective amylin receptor agonist. These differences in mechanism may lead to improved weight loss outcomes, as the drug’s potential to reduce cardiovascular risk and improve conditions like hypertension and sleep apnea was also noted. The drug’s general tolerability was praised, though the researchers reported mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue, which were more severe at higher doses.
Lead study author Dr. Liana K. Billings, a specialist in diabetes and cardiometabolic disease, emphasized that the drug’s results represent a