Shifting the scales: Lilly and Monash join forces to tackle obesity with real-world bite

Eli Lilly Australia has joined forces with Monash University to launch a major new initiative targeting one of the country’s most urgent and under-addressed health challenges: obesity.

With more than eight million Australians currently living with obesity and a further seven million categorised as overweight the need for a structured, evidence-based response has never been more critical.

Led by Cardiologist Professor Stephen Nicholls and colleagues, the program will prioritise better documentation, monitoring and treatment of obesity at scale.

“Obesity is Australia’s leading contributor to disease burden – having recently overtaken tobacco smoking – yet it remains one of the most under-recognised and under-treated risk factors for disease. This initiative aims to help change that,” Professor Nicholls said.

The partnership will create bespoke projects designed to improve associated health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, drawing on key pillars including clinician education, training, clinical research and real-world data.

“This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to improving outcomes for patients living with obesity. We hope to co-create solutions that are both practical for clinicians and impactful for patients who may benefit,” said Dr Kevin Lim, Medical Affairs Lead at Lilly.

New real-world evidence (RWE) presented by Lilly at the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting last week revealed a stark gap in cardiology settings: although 70% of patients attending cardiology services were overweight or living with obesity, fewer than 1% had their waist circumference recorded over four years.

“Obesity is highly prevalent in Australia, yet risk assessments often rely solely on BMI. We now know that regular, comprehensive weight and anthropometric evaluations can better measure excess adiposity and guide effective risk reduction strategies,” said Dr Peter Purnell, Director of Research at Advara HeartCare and co-lead author of the Lilly RWE study.

This momentum builds on a broader evidence base. A recent review led by Associate Professor Suong Le, a gastroenterologist at Monash University’s School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health and CEO of Juno Healthcare, assessed the use of GLP-1 RAs for obesity within Australia’s healthcare landscape – including funding models, prescribing pathways and equity of access.

The researchers emphasised that many critical questions remain unanswered, particularly as demand for these medicines surges. Key issues include optimal treatment duration, prevention of rebound weight gain post-therapy, long-term reimbursement models and appropriate use in paediatric populations.

Currently, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved six medicines for obesity management, including Lilly’s Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide). Meanwhile, next-generation oral GLP-1 receptor agonists such as orforglipron and danuglipron are in development and attracting significant attention.

In alignment with this clinical shift, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission recently urged clinicians to complement BMI with measures such as waist circumference or direct fat assessment, to reduce misclassification and improve timely, evidence-based care aimed at remission and long-term disease prevention.

The collaboration with Monash University not only builds on Lilly’s longstanding academic partnerships, it also reinforces the company’s wider commitment to public health advancement through strategic alliances focused on real-world impact.

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