This next-gen weight-loss drug offers a new hope — and a bonus Ozempic and Wegovy don’t have

Previous studies have shown that amylin analog drugs - which imitate the body’s natural production of the blood sugar-regulating hormone amylin - may lead to a lower loss of lean muscle mass than do GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, among others.

The 11-month Phase 2 trial, which included 263 participants who are overweight or living with obesity, also showed improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar and in markers of inflammation.

"Obesity is a complex condition, and no single treatment works for everyone,” Dr. Liana Billings, Director of Clinical and Genetics Research in Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Disease at Endeavor Health, said in a statement.

“To truly address each patient's needs, we need therapies with different mechanisms of action so that each person can receive the treatment that offers the best balance of effectiveness and tolerability for them,” she said.

There were some adverse events reported in people taking the drug, the most common of which was mild to moderate gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue.

The company said it will begin enrolling Phase 3 clinical studies of eloralintide next month.

The early trial results were released on the same day the Trump administration announced an agreement to lower weight loss drug prices with the American pharmaceutical giant and Danish competitor Novo Nordisk.

If purchased through the administration’s new direct-to-consumer website TrumpRx, monthly costs for Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Orforglipron GLP-1 class drugs would fall by as much as $740, according to the White House.

Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy would fall from $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively, to $350.

Other approved drugs in the pipeline will be priced at $150 a month when purchased through TrumpRx.

And coverage of the drugs for obesity will expand to Medicare patients starting next year, the administration said.

“(It) will save lives, improve the health of millions and millions of Americans,” President Donald Trump said Thursday, speaking from the Oval Office.

Notably, Eli Lilly is not the only company testing amylin analogs or weight loss pills.

Novo Nordisk's version, known as cagrilintide, led to about a 12 percent weight loss over 68 weeks.