Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for the investigation of tirzepatide for the treatment of adults with obesity, or overweight with weight-related comorbidities. The FDA grants Fast Track designation to facilitate the development and expedite the review of medicines to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need. Fast Track designation is intended to bring promising medicines to patients sooner.
Based on discussions with the FDA, Lilly plans to initiate a rolling submission of a new drug application (NDA) for tirzepatide in adults with obesity or overweight this year, which when complete, will be based primarily on results from two Phase 3 clinical trials: SURMOUNT-1, which is complete, and SURMOUNT-2, which is expected to complete by the end of April 2023. The rolling submission allows Lilly to submit completed sections of an application for review by FDA, rather than wait until all sections are completed.
Assuming positive SURMOUNT-2 results, Lilly aims to complete the submission shortly after SURMOUNT-2 data is available. The Fast Track designation, along with a rolling submission, accelerates tirzepatide's path to FDA submission.
"We are pleased with the FDA's decision to grant Fast Track designation for tirzepatide, and we look forward to completing our rolling submission next year," said Mike Mason, president, Lilly Diabetes. "Obesity is a chronic disease that impacts the health of nearly 100 million Americans and is a significant driver of healthcare costs. While diet and exercise are important steps, most patients don't achieve their desired treatment goals with only diet and exercise. We are dedicated to helping people living with obesity through our research and development of innovative treatments like tirzepatide, which produced significant weight reductions in patients taking tirzepatide for type 2 diabetes in SURPASS. Tirzepatide also helped nearly two-thirds of participants on the highest dose reduce their body weight by at least 20 percent in SURMOUNT-1."
About SURMOUNT-1, SURMOUNT-2 and the SURMOUNT clinical trial program
SURMOUNT-1 (NCT04184622) (1,2) is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled trial, which compared the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg to placebo as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity in adults without type 2 diabetes who have obesity, or overweight with at least one of the following comorbidities: hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea or cardiovascular disease. The trial randomized 2,539 participants across the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia and Taiwan in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to receive either tirzepatide 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg or placebo. The co-primary objectives of the study were to demonstrate that tirzepatide 10 mg and/or 15 mg was superior in percentage of body weight reductions from baseline and percentage of participants achieving ≥5% body weight reduction at 72 weeks compared to placebo. Participants who had pre-diabetes at study commencement will remain enrolled in SURMOUNT-1 for an additional 104 weeks of treatment following the initial 72-week completion date to evaluate the impact on body weight and potential differences in progression to type 2 diabetes at three years of treatment with tirzepatide compared to placebo.All participants in the tirzepatide treatment arms started the study at a dose of tirzepatide 2.5 mg once-weekly and then increased the dose in a step-wise approach at four-week intervals to their final randomized maintenance dose of 5 mg (via a 2.5 mg step), 10 mg (via steps at 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 7.5 mg) or 15 mg (via steps at 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg and 12.5 mg).
SURMOUNT-2 (NCT04657003) (1,2) is a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide 10 mg and 15 mg to placebo as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity in adults with type 2 diabetes who have obesity or overweight. The trial randomized 938 participants across the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, India, Japan, Puerto Rico, Russia and Taiwan in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive either tirzepatide 10 mg or 15 mg or placebo. The co-primary objectives of the study are to demonstrate that tirzepatide 10 mg and/or 15 mg is superior in percentage of body weight change from baseline and percentage of participants achieving ≥5% body weight reduction at 72 weeks compared to placebo.
The SURMOUNT Phase 3 global clinical development program (1,2) for tirzepatide began in late 2019 and has enrolled more than 5,000 people with obesity or overweight across six clinical trials, four of which are global studies. Results from SURMOUNT-2, -3 and -4 are anticipated in 2023.
About tirzepatide
Tirzepatide is a once-weekly GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) receptor and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist. Tirzepatide is a single novel molecule that activates the body's receptors for GIP and GLP-1, which are natural incretin hormones. GIP is a hormone that may complement the effects of GLP-1 receptor agonism. GIP has been shown to decrease food intake while blunting the metabolic adaptive responses that usually occur with calorie restriction resulting in weight reductions, and when combined with GLP-1 receptor agonism, may result in greater effects on markers of metabolic dysregulation such as body weight, glucose and lipids. Tirzepatide is in Phase 3 development for adults with obesity, or overweight with weight-related comorbidity. It is also being studied as a potential treatment for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Studies of tirzepatide in chronic kidney disease and in morbidity/mortality in obesity are planned as well.Tirzepatide was approved as Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) by the FDA on May 13, 2022. Mounjaro is a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Mounjaro is a prescription medicine. For more information, call 1-833-807-MJRO (833-807-6576) or go to www.mounjaro.com.
This summary provides basic information about Mounjaro but does not include all information known about this medicine. Read the information that comes with your prescription each time your prescription is filled. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider. Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about Mounjaro and how to take it. Your healthcare provider is the best person to help you decide if Mounjaro is right for you.
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About Lilly
Lilly unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help more than 47 million people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges, redefining diabetes care, treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects, advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease, providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders, and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable.
1. Jastreboff, A., Arrone, J., Ahmad, N. et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med 2022; 387:205-216 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2206038
2. le Roux, C. Zhang, S., Aronne, L. et. al. Tirzepatide for the Treatment of Obesity: Rationale and Design of the SURMOUNT Clinical Development Program 2022 Obesity doi: 10.1002/oby.23612