A breakthrough weight loss pill from the maker of Mounjaro helped patients shed weight and slash high blood sugar, promising data has shown.
A late stage trial showed users could lose almost 10 per cent of their weight after just under a year and a half on the experimental drug orforglipron.
Participants, who were overweight or obese and had type 2 diabetes, also benefited from reductions of up to nearly two per cent in HbA1c — blood sugar levels — meaning they were no longer dangerously high.
The once-a-day pill belongs to class of medications called GLP-1 agonists, like Mounjaro and Wegovy, which suppress appetite and make users feel fuller for longer.
It also marks another step towards a needle-free alternative to weight loss medication and ‘more convenience’ for patients.
Manufacturer Lilly has not yet disclosed how much the drug will cost, however, the pill is easier to produce and transport than injections, so will likely be a cheaper option.
It can also be stored at room temperature and taken at any time of day, with or without food.
Earlier this summer, the pharmaceutical giant revealed it expects to launch the pill around the world ‘this time next year’.
Manufacturer Lilly said the once-a-day pill could be launched ‘at scale’ worldwide and ‘without supply constraints’ as early as next year
In the phase three 72-week trial, scientists tracked more than 1,400 patients from 10 different countries, who weighed 16 stone (101.4kg), had a BMI of 35.6 and blood sugar level of 8.05 per cent on average.
For people with diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol/mol (6.5 per cent) or below and for those at risk of developing the condition, below 42mmol/mol (6 per cent).
Some 329 patients were prescribed a 6mg dose of orforglipron, while 332 were given 12mg and 322, 36mg.
The remaining 630 were prescribed a placebo pill. All following a healthy eating and physical exercise plan.
Researchers found the highest dose of orforglipron helped patients lose 9.6 per cent of their weight on average at 72 weeks, compared to 2.5 per cent among those who took a placebo.
By comparison, the 12mg and 6mg orforglipron doses triggered an average weight reduction of 7 per cent and 5.1 per cent, respectively.
The 36mg pill also saw HbA1c drop by 1.7 per cent on average, compared to 0.5 per cent among those on the placebo.
Meanwhile, HbA1c fell by 1.5 per cent and 1.2 per cent for those on the 12 and 6mg doses respectively.
Average reduction in waist circumference was also significantly greater with orforglipron 36 mg compared with placebo, with users seeing a drop of 8.3cm compared to 2.8 cm.
The side effects of Lilly’s pill were mainly gastrointestinal, such as nausea and vomiting, as well as constipation or diarrhoea, which were ‘mild to moderate’.
Writing in the journal, The Lancet, the scientists said that there were ‘greater HbA1c reductions observed with orforglipron in this trial’ compared to other GLP-1 agonists.
‘Orforglipron is simple to administer, with no restrictions on food and water intake or required refrigeration, potentially offering a more convenient option and broader global access to incretin therapy,’ they added.
Senior author of the study Dr Deborah Horn, medical director of the centre for obesity medicine at the University of Texas, also said: ‘Because of the safety profile of orforglipron and the predicted much lower cost, it will open the door for many more individuals who need and deserve treatment for their obesity — with or without diabetes, to get care around the world.
‘My hope is that orforglipron will be the “metformin” of obesity — a lower cost, broad coverage, low risk, highly effective medication for obesity and many of the inter-related diseases.’
Existing GLP-1 injections such as Mounjaro, however, have shown greater weight loss than Lilly’s pill.
Previous studies have found that people injected with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, lost 14 per cent of their body weight on average over 72 weeks.
And those taking tirzepatide, known as Mounjaro, lost 20 per cent of their body weight over the the same period.
But experts have repeatedly said that an oral option that offers a similar level of weight loss is ‘very good news’ for patients and offers hope for those who are uncomfortable with injecting themselves.
More than 30 new GLP-1 drugs are thought to currently be in development worldwide, including an oral pill made by the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, Novo Nordisk.
Earlier this year, Lilly said it would apply for approval to market orforglipron for weight management later in 2025 and for type 2 diabetes next year.
It means it could be approved for NHS use next year.
Around 2.5million Britons are thought to be on weight loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy.
Doctors have long insisted that weight loss jabs are ‘game changers’ when it comes to fighting back against Britain’s long-running problem of obesity, which costs the economy an estimated £100billion per year.
Weight-related illness costs the economy £74billion a year, with people who are overweight at increased risk of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Two in three Britons are classed as overweight or obese and NHS figures show people now weigh about a stone more than 30 years ago.
