Nearly 99% of people with prediabetes and obesity or overweight who took weekly tirzepatide injections remained diabetes-free for over three years of using the drug, according to new data from the drugmaker Eli Lilly.

Eli Lilly said on Wednesday its weight-loss drug helped nearly 99% of patients remain diabetes-free after three years of weekly injections. The results suggest that tirzepatide - the active ingredient in Lilly's diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight-loss treatment Zepbound - could prevent one new case of diabetes for every nine patients treated.

Eli Lilly has reported comprehensive outcomes from the SURMOUNT-1 study of tirzepatide (Zepbound and Mounjaro) for treating pre-diabetic and obese individuals. Spanning 176 weeks of treatment, the Phase III trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide in adults without type 2 diabetes (T2D) who were either obese or overweight with complications such as cardiovascular disease,