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Eli Lilly Halts Diabetes Arm of Bimagrumab Obesity Trial Weeks After Launch

Lilly attributes the cancellation to “strategic business reasons,” reflecting rising approval hurdles for companion obesity treatments.

Overview

  • Lilly terminated the Phase 2b study that included people with Type 2 diabetes on June 10, less than a month after launch, after planning to test bimagrumab with or without tirzepatide in 180 participants.
  • A separate Phase 2 trial in adults with obesity but without Type 2 diabetes remains recruiting, with an initial readout listed around April 2026.
  • The move comes as regulators signal that add-on drugs should show incremental weight loss over GLP-1 therapy alone to support approval.
  • Past research in diabetes raised safety questions for bimagrumab, including a pancreatitis hospitalization reported in an earlier small trial.
  • Lilly shares fell roughly 2% to 4% following the disclosure, highlighting investor concern after the company’s roughly $1.9–$2 billion Versanis acquisition.