(Reuters) -Eli Lilly’s experimental weight-loss pill showed superior blood sugar control in diabetic patients across two late-stage trials, the company said on Wednesday, as it seeks to widen its lead in the rapidly growing market for GLP-1 drugs.
The oral drug, orforglipron, is designed to mimic the appetite-suppressing GLP-1 hormone targeted by the company’s blockbuster injection tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Lilly and its Danish rival Novo Nordisk, market leaders with their injectable drugs, are racing to launch oral weight-loss treatments, which still require approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In one of the studies, Lilly’s pill helped lower A1C, a measure of blood sugar over time, by up to 1.7% compared to 0.8% with 10 mg dose of AstraZeneca’s drug dapagliflozin, sold under the brand name Farxiga.
The head-to-head trial was conducted in adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin, a widely used drug to treat high blood sugar levels.
In the other trial, orforglipron lowered A1C by an additional 2.1% when taken with insulin glargine.
In both trials, orforglipron showed weight loss and improvements in multiple cardiovascular risk factors, the company said. Patients received either a 3 mg, 12 mg or 36 mg dose of orforglipron over 40 weeks across the studies.
In a previous head-to-head trial in adults with type 2 diabetes, orforglipron lowered average blood sugar and weight more effectively than Novo’s older GLP-1 pill Rybelsus.
“Together, these results reinforce orforglipron’s potential to become a new standard of care for people living with type 2 diabetes,” said Jeff Emmick, senior vice president of product development, Lilly Cardiometabolic Health.
Results from another trial is expected in the first quarter of 2026.
Lilly plans to submit orforglipron for the treatment of type 2 diabetes to global regulatory agencies in 2026, while submission for the obesity treatment is set to occur by this year end.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
