A new clinical trial has found that a once-weekly injection of eloralintide, a new experimental drug, led to weight loss of up to 20% in adults with obesity or overweight who did not have type 2 diabetes.
The results, published in The Lancet, come from a Phase II study led by researchers from Endeavor Health and Eli Lilly and conducted across 46 medical centers in the United States.
The study offers new hope for people who cannot tolerate existing weight loss medications such as semaglutide, known by brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, or who fail to reach their weight loss goals on those treatments.
Despite the growing number of anti-obesity medications, many patients still experience unpleasant side effects or inadequate results, creating a need for alternative therapies.
Eloralintide is part of a new class of drugs that targets the body’s amylin system. Amylin is a hormone naturally released by the pancreas alongside insulin when we eat.
It helps slow down digestion, reduce the release of another hormone called glucagon (which raises blood sugar), and make us feel full sooner. By mimicking this natural process, eloralintide may help people eat less and lose weight more effectively than some existing drugs.
The 48-week trial included 263 adults between the ages of 18 and 75, with an average age of 49 and an average body mass index (BMI) of 39, which falls in the obese range.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or one of six eloralintide treatment plans: 1 mg, 3 mg, 6 mg, 9 mg, 6–9 mg, or 3–9 mg doses given once per week. All participants also received diet and lifestyle counseling throughout the study.
At the end of 48 weeks, all groups taking eloralintide lost more weight than those on placebo. The results showed clear dose-dependent effects: people receiving 1 mg lost about 9% of their body weight, 3 mg lost 12%, 6 mg lost 18%, and both 9 mg and the 6–9 mg escalating doses lost around 20% of their body weight.
By contrast, participants taking a placebo lost only 0.4%. On average, those on the highest doses lost up to 21 kilograms (46 pounds) and saw their waistlines shrink by as much as 17 centimeters. Participants also showed improvements in BMI, cholesterol, and inflammation levels.
Side effects were mostly mild to moderate and similar to those seen with other weight loss drugs. About 81% of participants on eloralintide experienced some side effects compared with 71% on placebo. The most common complaints were nausea and fatigue, particularly at higher doses.
Nausea rates ranged from 11% to 64%, while fatigue occurred in up to 46% of participants. However, when doses were gradually increased instead of starting at the highest level, these symptoms were reduced.
There were no reported cases of pancreatitis, gallbladder inflammation, or death, and serious side effects were rare and unrelated to the drug. About 10% of participants stopped treatment due to side effects.
Dr. Marcia Irene Canto, one of the study investigators, explained that eloralintide works through a different biological pathway than existing incretin-based drugs, offering a potential alternative for people who cannot tolerate them.
Because the medication targets amylin receptors rather than GLP-1 receptors (the target of drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy), it may be used alone or in combination with other medications in the future.
The findings highlight the growing interest in amylin-based therapies for obesity management. While incretin receptor drugs have dominated recent headlines, amylin agonists like eloralintide could represent the next generation of long-term weight control treatments.
The researchers reported “clinically meaningful, dose-dependent weight loss with generally acceptable tolerability,” suggesting that eloralintide could become an effective monotherapy option for adults who struggle with weight loss.
However, experts caution that these results are from an early-stage trial and more research is needed. Larger Phase III studies will be required to confirm the benefits, evaluate long-term safety, and determine how eloralintide compares with other medications or combinations.
When reviewing the study, it’s clear that eloralintide achieved impressive weight loss results similar to those seen with GLP-1-based drugs—but potentially with a different side effect profile. The gradual dose-escalation strategy seems to improve tolerability, which could make the medication more comfortable to use for patients.
Still, like all hormonal-based weight loss treatments, monitoring for gastrointestinal issues and individual response will be essential. Overall, this research adds another promising tool to the growing arsenal of medical treatments for obesity.
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The study is published in The Lancet.
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