According to new data released Tuesday morning, its daily oral GLP-1 pills may help people with obesity, with people with type 2 diabetes losing about 23 pounds or more than 10% of their weight on average, drugmaker Eli Lilly said.
Eli Lilly said oral GLP-1 pills have been shown to lower hemoglobin A1c levels – a blood test that shows average blood sugar levels over two to three months – averaged 1.3% to 1.8% in diabetics.
The results of the Phase III trial study were based on trial participants who took the highest dose of 36 mg over a period of more than one year or about 17 months.
The company logo is located on the headquarters campus of Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana on March 17, 2024.
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Eli Lilly’s early findings after the company’s latest data released in early August showed that trial participants who were overweight or obese lost an average of 27 pounds, or about 12.4% of their weight after taking Eli Lilly’s oral GLP-1 pill Orforglipron-Orforglipron-Orforglipron–at least 72 weeks.
Eli Lilly expects to provide this data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and request approval of Orforglipron as a treatment for obesity by the end of 2025.
“If approved, we are ready to offer a convenient, once-daily pill that can be scaled globally – removing barriers and redefining the way obesity is everywhere,” Kenneth Custer, executive vice president and president of Lily cardiac metabolic health, said in a statement.
Eli Lilly's rival Novo Nordisk has sought FDA approval for oral Semaglutide pills for oral GLP-1 pills and is expected to make a decision by the end of this year.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are both competing to bring oral pill versions of GLP-1 drugs to the market, as daily drugs may be more accessible and may be more attractive for those who don't want to use the once-weekly GLP-1 injectable drugs.
“Orforglipron can help healthcare providers expand patients who prefer oral therapy without compromising clinical outcomes,” Obesity expert Dr. Louis J. Aronne said in a statement from Eli Lilly.
Oral GLP-1 medications may cause similar side effects as GLP-1 injections, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
So far, oral GLP-1 pills have not been studied with GLP-1 injections, and the researchers do not know which version is more effective than the others.
Eli Lilly said the complete data from its latest Phase 3 trial will be published in future peer-reviewed journals.