A daily pill could help people maintain weight loss after stopping injectable weight-loss drugs, according to new trial data presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026 in Istanbul and published in Nature Medicine. The study, funded by Eli Lilly, suggests that orforglipron tablets may reduce the need for other long-term medications for obesity-related diseases.
Researchers followed 376 US patients who had been on tirzepatide (Mounjaro) or semaglutide (Wegovy) injections for 72 weeks. Participants then switched to either orforglipron pills or a placebo for one year. Those who had been on tirzepatide maintained nearly 75% of their weight loss after switching to the pill, compared with 49% for those on placebo. For semaglutide, patients maintained almost 80% of prior weight loss on the pill, versus 38% on placebo.
Improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels were also maintained in the pill group. Dr Louis Aronne of Weill Cornell Medicine said the findings support treating obesity as a chronic disease, potentially reducing the need for other medications. “If obesity were treated effectively, there would be no need to treat the other cardio-metabolic risk factors,” he said.
Dr Marie Spreckley of the University of Cambridge noted that many patients prefer oral over injectable therapies due to convenience and cost. Dr Simon Cork of Anglia Ruskin University added that oral medications are cheaper to manufacture, though they may produce less weight loss than injections. He said the findings point to “a potential future for how patients with obesity are treated, and how the success of weight loss can be maintained.”
