Daily oral GLP-1 pill could be just as effective as weekly shots: Drugmaker

By Yi-Jin Yu

Drugmaker Eli Lilly says its oral, daily GLP-1 pill may offer similar weight loss results as weekly GLP-1 shots.

Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro and Zepbound, said Thursday that the company's new orforglipron pill can offer up to an average of 27.3 pounds of weight loss, according to results from the first of two of its Phase 3 trials that included more than 3,100 overweight or obese adults.

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A sign with the company logo sits on the headquarters campus of Eli Lilly and Company on March 17, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

"With orforglipron, we're working to transform obesity care by introducing a potential once-daily oral therapy that could support early intervention and long-term disease management, while offering a convenient alternative to injectable treatments," Kenneth Custer, an executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, said in a statement. "With these positive data in hand, we are now planning to submit orforglipron for regulatory review by year-end and are prepared for a global launch to address this urgent public health need."

According to Eli Lilly, adults in the Phase 3 trials all lost weight with orforglipron and on the highest dose of 36 mg of orforglipron, the trial participants lost about 27 pounds over the course of 72 weeks or about 12% of their body weight, which is meaningful but not quite as high as some injectables. Ten percent of the trial participants taking the highest dose chose to stop taking the pill, the company said.  

The trial participants also showed cardiovascular improvements after taking orforglipron, including lower systolic blood pressure, lower non-HDL cholesterol and lower triglycerides.

Those in the trial that did experience negative side effects did so at the same rate and consistency as those previously reported for injectable GLP-1 drugs and Eli Lilly said it "was consistent." The drugmaker said the most commonly reported negative side effects were mild to moderate gastrointestinal-related symptoms, such as nausea, constipation, indigestion, diarrhea and vomiting.

Eli Lilly is also studying the orforglipron pill on adults with Type 2 diabetes with the company announcing back in April that the medication could help reduce hemoglobin A1C levels — a blood test that shows average blood sugar levels over two to three months — in addition to helping people lose weight.

Doctors say patients who don't want to use injectable medications may find oral pills easier to stick with. The oral pills can also be a future option for people who wish to transition away from injectables. Medications in pill forms are also cheaper to manufacture, which in theory, would make these drugs cheaper for consumers.

Eli Lilly plans to submit the daily orforglipron pill for global regulatory approval by the end of 2025, joining competitor Novo Nordisk, which is also seeking approval for an oral version of its Wegovy semaglutide medication. Federal health regulators will want to see more complete data on safety, tolerability and effectiveness before considering the pills for possible approval.