Eli Lilly reported on Thursday that orforglipron, its experimental pill for obesity, helped a majority of patients in a clinical trial maintain their weight loss after switching from injectable forms of its Zepbound GLP-1 drug and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.
In Lilly’s Phase 3 trial, patients who switched to the daily pill from Wegovy after one year maintained their weight loss with an average gain of 0.9 kilograms, while those who switched from Zepbound saw an average gain of 5 kilograms.
Lilly’s stock was up 2.3% on Thursday as of 12:45 p.m. ET.
The pharma giant has already filed for FDA approval of the pill as an initial treatment for obesity, and in November the FDA awarded the pill a priority review voucher, which could expedite its review timeline to a few months.
This new trial indicates it could also be used as a maintenance therapy for patients who no longer want to take the injectable form of the drug. Many patients regain weight once they stop a GLP-1 drug, now only available as a weekly injection.
“If approved for the treatment of obesity, orforglipron could provide a convenient alternative for the millions of individuals living with obesity around the globe to continue their long-term health journey,” Kenneth Custer, executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, said in a statement.
Although the injectable forms of the popular GLP-1 drugs, which target a hormone that controls appetite, are more effective than the pill forms under development, the pills are both easier to take and will be cheaper; In November, Lilly and Novo Nordisk agreed to price their pills at $150 per month, compared with $350 per month and up for the injectable forms.
Novo Nordisk also has a pill form of its weight loss drugs in development, which is likely to be approved within a month. But that drug is slightly less convenient than the Lilly version, as it requires users to take the pill on an empty stomach before breakfast.