• Posted April 18, 2025

First Weight-Loss Pill From Lilly Shows Promising Results

FRIDAY, April 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A new pill designed to help with weight loss and blood sugar control is showing promise in early studies.

Eli Lilly said its experimental drug, orforglipron, helped people with type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar and lose weight. The company is hoping to bring the first GLP-1 weight-loss pill to market, The Wall Street Journal said.

GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, are popular for helping people manage diabetes and lose weight. But right now, they are only available as injections.

Doctors and patients have been hoping for a pill version that would be easier to take.

“It really gives us an opportunity to reach many more patients than you can reach with an injectable,” Jeffrey Emmick, senior vice president of product development at Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, told The Wall Street Journal.

Some people don’t like injections, and injectable drugs often need to be kept cold. The pill version could help more people around the world who don’t have easy access to refrigeration.

It may also be easier to produce in large amounts. Lilly’s injectable GLP-1 drug went into shortage shortly after it was released.

In the new study, orforglipron was tested for 40 weeks in adults with type 2 diabetes. People who took the highest dose lost an average of 16 pounds, or about 7.9% of their body weight. The most common side effects were stomach-related and were mostly mild or moderate, Lilly said.

The company plans to submit the pill for approval as a weight-loss treatment by the end of 2025 and for diabetes treatment in 2026.

The drug works by targeting the GLP-1 hormone, which helps regulate blood sugar and reduce appetite. Unlike other GLP-1 drugs that are made from large molecules, orforglipron is a small molecule. That means the body may absorb it more easily, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Other companies, including Novo Nordisk and Pfizer, are also developing GLP-1 pills. Experts expect the obesity drug market to grow to more than $100 billion by the end of the decade.

More information

The Mayo Clinic has more on prescription weight-loss drugs.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, April 17, 2025