Eli Lilly's Orforglipron: A Pill Revolutionizing Diabetes Weight Loss

Eli Lilly's experimental GLP-1 pill, orforglipron, has demonstrated a significant weight loss of 10.5% in a late-stage trial involving overweight adults with type 2 diabetes. These promising results follow a previous study's outcomes, causing shares of the drugmaker to rise 2.4% in premarket trading.

The once-daily pill also led 75% of high-dose recipients to lower their A1C level to 6.5% or below, surpassing the American Diabetes Association's recommended target of under 7% for most adults. Unlike injectable treatments, orforglipron offers manufacturing and packaging advantages as a small-molecule pill.

Lilly plans to seek regulatory approvals for orforglipron following the successful trial, with discussions on a priority review voucher underway. As the weight-loss drug market grows, orforglipron could play a key role alongside existing treatments like Zepbound and Novo Nordisk's Wegovy.

(With inputs from agencies.)