Lilly’s Experimental Shot Cuts Body Weight by 23% in Study

A next-generation obesity shot from Eli Lilly & Co. helped patients lose almost a quarter of their body weight, potentially making the experimental drug the most potent weight-loss medicine yet.

The late-stage study was designed to measure weight loss and pain associated with knee osteoarthritis, a condition closely linked to obesity. Patients on the highest dose of the drug — called retatrutide — lost more than 23% of their body weight in 68 weeks, Lilly said in a statement Thursday. Study participants experienced a more than 62% reduction in knee pain, according to a self-reported questionnaire.