Many of the patients who tested the drug lost about 30 percent of their body weight — a loss comparable to the result of bariatric surgery

A next-gen Eli Lilly obesity drug led to bariatric-surgery levels of weight loss in a study, but also saw patients dropping out because of side effects.

The results — the most weight loss ever seen in a medication trial — put the drug’s effectiveness on par with bariatric surgery.

Eli Lilly's retatrutide shows promise, helping obesity patients lose over 28% of their weight in a key trial.