Eli Lilly (LLY.N) announced on Thursday that its late-stage clinical trial found the weight-loss drug Zepbound, when used alongside its psoriatic arthritis treatment Taltz, significantly improved arthritis symptoms while promoting weight loss—outperforming Taltz alone.
In the study, 31.7% of patients receiving Taltz plus Zepbound achieved the primary endpoint, defined as at least a 50% reduction in psoriatic arthritis disease activity and a minimum 10% weight loss after 36 weeks. In contrast, only 0.8% of patients taking Taltz alone met the same combined outcome.
Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease linked to psoriasis, causing joint pain, stiffness, and sometimes nail and skin issues.
Lilly also reported that 33.5% of patients on the combination therapy achieved at least a 50% reduction in disease activity, compared with 20.4% on Taltz alone.
The trial enrolled 271 overweight or obese adults with active psoriatic arthritis and at least one additional weight-related condition. According to Lilly, approximately 65% of U.S. adults with psoriatic arthritis are overweight or obese and have at least one additional weight-related comorbidity.
“These results demonstrate how an integrated treatment approach has the potential to improve the standard of care in a compelling and comprehensive way,” said Mark Genovese, senior vice president of Lilly Immunology Development.
The most common side effects reported with the combination therapy were nausea, diarrhea, and constipation, affecting at least 5% of participants.
