Eli Lilly's new GLP-1 weight loss pill showed success in clinical trial

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The Brief

• Orforglibron, a pill form of GLP-1 weight loss injections like Ozempic and Mounjaro, is undergoing clinical trials.

• Drugmaker Eli Lilly said the first trial showed similar weight loss and diabetes management results when compared to the pill’s injectable counterparts.

• About 1 in 8 adults in the U.S. has taken a GLP-1 drug.

A daily weight loss pill being tested by Eli Lilly could work as well as its GLP-1 injection counterparts like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound, the pharmaceuticals giant said Thursday.

Lilly announced the results of its first of seven clinical trials of orforglipron, the new GLP-1 agonist pill that aims to lower blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes and help with weight loss in people who are clinically obese. Currently, GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic and Zepbound are only available as injectable shots, and they’re also expensive and must be refrigerated.

Orforglipon clinical trial results

Lilly’s clinical trial included 559 people with Type 2 diabetes. People who took orforglibron for 40 weeks saw their blood sugars lowered about 1.5%, roughly the same amount for patients hwo took Ozempic and Mounjaro in other trials, The New York Times reports. More than half (65%) of patients who took orforglibron reported their blood sugars dropping into normal range.

RELATED: Pfizer ends development of pill to treat obesity after injury reported during trial

The patients also lost up to 16 pounds, and they hadn’t seen their weight loss plateau by the end of the study. That’s comparable to weight loss results in 40 weeks on Ozempic and slightly less than the weight loss recorded on Mounjaro.

According to the Times, the side effects were the same as the injectable GLP-1 drugs, including diarrhea, indigestion, constipation, nausea and vomiting.

What they’re saying

Scientists say a pill form could expand access to the drug, as some people are reluctant to give themselves shots every week.

“Injections cannot be the solution for billions of people around the world,” Dr. Daniel Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer, told The Times.

What’s next

Eli Lilly has six more large clinical trials for orforglipron. Some of those will test the drug on people without diabetes. Lilly plans to seek approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration later this year to offer orforglipron for obesity, and early next year for diabetes.

How do GLP-1 drugs work?

The backstory

Orforglipron is a GLP-1, a class of drugs that includes Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound. They were initially prescribed to treat Type 2 diabetes, but have soared in popularity because of weight loss. Wegovy and Zepbound are FDA approved for weight loss.

The drugs work by mimicking the actions of hormones, found primarily in the gut, that kick in after people eat. The hormones help regulate blood sugar by triggering the pancreas to release insulin, another hormone, and slowing the release of sugar from the liver. People who are overweight or have obesity can become insulin-resistant, which means the body doesn’t respond to insulin properly.

RELATED: Ozempic and other weight-loss drug use is booming. But are Americans on board?

The obesity drugs lower blood sugar and slow down digestion, so people feel full longer. They also affect signals in the brain linked to feelings of fullness and satisfaction, tamping down appetite, food-related thoughts and cravings.

Because people feel full longer, they eat less and lose weight.

However, it appears that if people taking the drugs stop, they regain the weight they lost — and the health problems that come with weight gain.

How many Americans take GLP-1 drugs?

By the numbers

According to a May 2024 survey from KFF, about 1 in 8 adults in the U.S. has taken a GLP-1 agonist like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound. As of 2024, roughly 6% of adults said they were currently taking one.

About 62% of adults who have taken GLP-1 drugs say they took them to treat a chronic condition including diabetes or heart disease, while about 4 in 10 say they took them primarily to lose weight.

About 40% of adults in the U.S. have obesity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity can cause hypertension, Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, which lead to greater risks of things like stroke and heart attacks.

The Source

This report includes information from Eli Lilly, The New York Times and The Associated Press.