02:21 PM EDT, 08/20/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Eli Lilly ( LLY ) said Tuesday that Tirzepatide "significantly" lowered the risk of progression to type-2 diabetes in obese or overweight adults, based on data from a three-year study.

Tirzepatide is approved in the US as Mounjaro for adults with type-2 diabetes and as Zepbound for obese or overweight adults.

Weekly injections of tirzepatide reduced the risk of progression to type-2 diabetes by 94%, the drugmaker said. Tirzepatide was assessed in 1,032 adults who had pre-diabetes at randomization and obesity or overweight for a 176-week treatment period, followed by a 17-week off-treatment period.

The study also showed that tirzepatide led to sustained weight loss through the treatment period, with adults on the highest, 15-milligram dose seeing a nearly 23% average drop in body weight, compared with 2.1% for placebo.

"These data reinforce the potential clinical benefits of long-term therapy for people living with obesity and pre-diabetes," said Lilly Senior Vice President of Product Development Jeff Emmick.

The company's shares were up 2.6% in Tuesday afternoon trade.

Lilly said patients who had stopped taking tirzepatide during the 17-week off-treatment period started regaining weight and had "some increase" in the progression to type-2 diabetes. This led to an 88% reduction in the risk of progression to type-2 diabetes, compared with placebo.

The overall safety and tolerability profile of tirzepatide over the 193-week study was consistent with certain studies conducted previously, the company said. The most frequently reported adverse events were gastrointestinal-related and generally mild to moderate in severity.

Lilly said detailed results will be presented at ObesityWeek 2024, scheduled for Nov. 3-6.

Separately, Organon (OGN) said Tuesday it expanded its agreement with Lilly to become the sole distributor and promoter for the Emgality migraine drug in 11 additional markets, including Canada, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.

Under the terms of the expanded deal, Lilly will receive a $22.5 million upfront payment, as well as sales-based milestone payments. Organon is already the sole distributor and promoter of Emgality in Europe.

Earlier this month, Lilly raised its full-year financial outlook after reporting stronger-than-expected second-quarter results, boosted by demand for Mounjaro and Zepbound.

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