Aug 28 (Reuters) – Eli Lilly said on Friday the U.S. FDA has approved its diabetes drug Mounjaro to reduce the chances of heart attack or stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk of cardiovascular events.
Mounjaro is the company’s diabetes drug that targets the GLP-1 protein and is also used for weight loss. In the U.S., the obesity version is sold under the brand name Zepbound.
The approval was based on results from a trial that showed Mounjaro outperformed Trulicity, Lilly’s older diabetes drug, in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke in a large, head-to-head study.
The trial showed that Mounjaro reduced the risk of major adverse heart events by 8% more than Trulicity.
Sales of Mounjaro rose 91% to $9.94 billion during the second quarter as strong demand lifted sales volumes across global markets.
The company and Danish rival Novo Nordisk are seeking to broaden the reach of their GLP-1 drugs, testing them in conditions ranging from cardiovascular disease to liver disorders.
(Reporting by Sneha S K in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Devika Syamnath)
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