Eli Lilly's Pill Cuts 7.9% Weight in Diabetes Patients, Study Finds

Eli Lilly’s experimental weight-loss pill, orforglipron, achieved nearly 8% weight loss and notable blood sugar reduction in a late-stage trial for patients with type 2 diabetes. The once-daily oral drug exceeded Wall Street expectations, triggering an 11% surge in Lilly’s premarket share value, while impacting stocks of competitors like Novo Nordisk and Viking Therapeutics.

An oral GLP-1 targeting drug is considered a game-changer in the diabetes and obesity treatment market, providing a more accessible alternative to weekly injectable drugs. With obesity treatment sales projected to hit 150 billion dollar, the success of orforglipron could reshape the landscape of metabolic disorder therapies.

“As a convenient once-daily pill, orforglipron may provide a new option and, if approved, could be readily manufactured and launched at scale,” said Lilly CEO David Ricks.

After 40 weeks of treatment, patients recorded weight reductions of 4.7% at 3 mg, 6.1% at 12 mg, and 7.9% at 36 mg, compared to 1.6% with placebo. HbA1c levels dropped by 1.3% to 1.6%, meeting key efficacy benchmarks, although side effects such as nausea (13%-18%), diarrhea (19%-26%), and vomiting (5%-14%) were observed. Importantly, no liver safety signals were reported.

With Lilly aiming to file for regulatory approval by year-end, orforglipron may emerge as a scalable and patient-friendly solution in the evolving battle against diabetes and obesity.