The "new effect" of the weight-loss miracle drug has been discovered, with Eli Lilly's Zepbound significantly reducing the risk of heart failure

Media reports that Eli Lilly & Co.'s blockbuster drug Zepbound has improved the long-term health of obese patients with heart failure in a trial, highlighting the cardiovascular benefits of this weight-loss drug. This has boosted the company's stock by 3.8% at the opening of the US stock market on Thursday, with the increase later narrowing to 2.72%. The stock has risen by 38% since the beginning of the year as of Wednesday's close.

Eli Lilly stated on Thursday that patients taking Zepbound had a 38% reduced risk of death, hospitalization, and other adverse outcomes compared to those receiving a placebo. The drug also significantly alleviated heart failure symptoms, including shortness of breath, fatigue, and irregular heartbeat.

This two-year trial involved over 700 patients, and Eli Lilly hopes to demonstrate that Zepbound not only helps with weight loss but also more broadly improves a crucial aspect of human health, which may help the company secure insurance coverage.

Jeff Emmick, Senior Vice President of Product Development at Lilly, said in a media interview, "This is exactly what we need, not only improving the understanding of disease severity but also the opportunity for reimbursement."

Analysts believe that this strategy seems to be working. Analysts at JP Morgan believe that the trial data support further coverage of this drug among Medicare patients (the US government health plan for individuals aged 65 and older) before providing insurance coverage for obese patients more broadly. This provides a strong basis for covering the drug under commercial insurance.

The company plans to submit the trial results to regulatory agencies in the US and other countries later this year to seek expanded indications for Zepbound. The study involved heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a type of heart failure where the heart's contraction function is essentially normal (preserved ejection fraction) but its relaxation function is impaired, leading to inadequate filling of blood during the relaxation phase. HFpEF is commonly associated with aging, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, and is a common but complex type of heart failure.

This disease occurs when the heart muscle is stiff and cannot fill with enough blood. According to media reports, a commentary published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) estimated that about 3 million people in the US and up to 32 million people globally are affected, with an annual mortality rate of about 15%.

Currently, in the race to prove that weight-loss drugs contribute to heart health, Novo Nordisk A/S is ahead of Eli Lilly. Novo Nordisk's drug Wegovy, which showed a 20% reduction in the risk of heart attacks and strokes in a trial, was approved in March this year for cardiovascular disease patients.

This has also opened the door for Medicare to cover the drug for more patients. In January this year, Novo Nordisk requested regulatory agencies to include heart failure in Wegovy's indications label, as previous studies showed that the drug improved symptoms Meanwhile, Eli Lilly is focusing on getting Zepbound approved for patients with sleep apnea. The company is also researching other diseases, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a common liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction