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Lilly’s Orforglipron Pill Shows Promise in weight Loss for Type 2 Diabetes Patients
A new once-daily pill from Eli Lilly demonstrated important weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes, bolstering the pharmaceutical company’s position in the rapidly expanding market for obesity and diabetes treatments. The positive trial results, announced tuesday, sent Lilly’s shares up 2.4 percent to $712.
Lilly reported that participants in a late-stage study taking the highest dose of orforglipron experienced an average weight reduction of 10.5 percent – approximately 23 pounds – over 72 weeks. This outcome surpasses the 2.2 percent weight loss observed in the placebo group and meets the study’s primary objective. Lower doses of 6mg resulted in 5.5 percent weight loss.
The pill also effectively lowered participants’ A1C levels, a key indicator of long-term blood sugar control, to 6.5 percent or below, falling under the 7 percent target recommended by the American Diabetes Association.
Orforglipron represents a perhaps game-changing alternative to currently popular injectable medications like Lilly’s zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. unlike these peptide-based drugs, orforglipron is a small molecule pill, which is expected to be easier and more cost-effective to manufacture and distribute.”This pill can be produced to ‘Exceptional scope’,” stated a senior official at Lilly.
The 72-week study involved over 1,600 overweight or obese adults living with type 2 diabetes. According to the company, individuals with type 2 diabetes often face greater challenges in achieving weight loss compared to those without the condition, making these results particularly encouraging.
Lilly now possesses the complete clinical data package necessary to submit applications for orforglipron’s approval to regulatory bodies worldwide. When questioned about pursuing a priority review voucher – a mechanism to expedite FDA approval by shortening the review period from ten to six months – a company representative stated, “All options are on the table.”
Earlier data from a similar study involving individuals without diabetes showed an average weight loss of 12.4 percent with orforglipron. While analysts had anticipated the drug woudl match or exceed the 14.9 percent weight loss achieved by Wegovy over 68 weeks, the current results remain highly competitive.
The study did report side effects. Nausea was experienced by 36.4 percent of patients on the highest dose, with 23.1 percent reporting vomiting. These rates are comparable to those observed in the previous study, which briefly impacted the company’s stock price. Just over 10 percent of high-dose patients discontinued the study due to these side effects. Importantly, no liver problems were reported.
The potential market for weight reduction medications is substantial, with some analysts projecting a $150 billion annual value by the early 2030s. Currently, Zepbound and Wegovy dominate this space. The FDA is also reviewing a high-dose oral formulation of Wegovy, with Novo Nordisk reporting 15 percent weight loss in a late-stage trial.
Beyond weight loss, Lilly’s research indicates that orforglipron improves cardiovascular risk markers by lowering cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure across
