Eli Lilly's New Appetite-Suppressing Pill Shows Strong Results in Type 2 Diabetes Trials
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, renowned for producing the powerful weight loss injection Mounjaro, has unveiled promising trial results for a new daily pill designed to curb appetite. Published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, the findings indicate that this oral medication, called orforglipron, is particularly effective for individuals with Type 2 diabetes, delivering superior weight loss and improved blood sugar control compared to existing options.
Superior Performance in Clinical Trials
In a comprehensive trial involving 1,500 participants across 131 medical research centres and hospitals in countries including Argentina, China, Japan, Mexico, and the United States, orforglipron demonstrated significant advantages. Patients taking the new pill lost between 6% to 8% of their body weight over a year, whereas those using the current market-leading oral weight loss drug, semaglutide, experienced a 4% to 5% reduction. Semaglutide is also available in injectable forms under brand names such as Wegovy and Ozempic.
Researchers have hailed these outcomes as an "important advancement" in the care of Type 2 diabetes. Professor Naveed Sattar, an obesity expert from Glasgow University who was not involved in the study, emphasised the significance, stating, "These are important findings. The more effective oral medicines we have to help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and keep it off, the better." He noted that excess weight is a major driver of Type 2 diabetes and contributes to other health issues like high blood pressure and abnormal lipid levels.
Addressing Access and Practicality Challenges
The development of orforglipron comes at a critical time, as weight loss jabs like Mounjaro—dubbed the "King Kong" of such drugs for enabling average weight loss of a fifth of body weight in trials—face global shortages. The NHS currently lacks the capacity to offer these injections to all eligible individuals, prioritising those with severe obesity through specialist services. It is estimated that approximately 2.2 million Britons are using weight loss jabs, largely through expensive private prescriptions.
Experts believe that making appetite-suppressing drugs available in pill form could be key to widening access across the population. Douglas Twenefour, clinical lead at Diabetes UK, commented, "GLP-1 medications, alongside appropriate support, are effective tools for both weight loss and type 2 diabetes management, so we welcome these latest findings. It's vital that people living with obesity and type 2 diabetes have access to a range of safe and effective treatments."
Advantages and Considerations of the New Pill
Orforglipron offers practical benefits over existing oral treatments. Unlike semaglutide, which must be taken on an empty stomach in the morning with only a small cup of water and 30 minutes before eating, the new pill does not require such restrictive conditions. This flexibility could enhance patient adherence and convenience.
However, the trial also revealed that orforglipron tends to cause more side effects on average, including nausea and stomach cramps. In some instances, these were severe enough to necessitate discontinuation of the medication. Despite this, lead researcher Julio Rosenstock, collaborating with Eli Lilly, concluded, "Orforglipron represents a potential new therapeutic option for individuals with type 2 diabetes."
Previous trials of orforglipron showed users losing about 11% of their body weight over 17 months, though weight loss in pill form is generally less dramatic than with injections. It is important to note that without sustained lifestyle changes, users often regain weight after stopping such drugs. If approved, an oral option like orforglipron could support more people in reducing their risk of Type 2 diabetes and mitigating the health impacts of obesity, as highlighted by Diabetes UK.
