(NewsNation) — Eli Lilly announced Thursday its experimental weight-loss pill passed its first late-stage trial among patients with diabetes, delivering on the company’s promise to lower blood sugar and body weight like other GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Lilly’s Phase 3 trial showed that Type 2 diabetes patients lost an average of 16 pounds, or nearly 8% of their body weight, over 40 weeks. When the study ended, weight loss did not plateau, suggesting that patients may continue to lose weight, Lilly said.
The daily pill, called orforglipron, lowered blood sugar levels by an average of 1.3% and has a “safety profile” consistent with other GLP-1 drugs, according to Lilly.
On Monday, Pfizer ended development of its once-daily weight-loss pill, called danuglipron, after a trial patient experienced a possible drug-induced liver injury that ended once the patient stopped taking the drug.
Lilly said 8% of trial patients on orforglipron’s highest dose discontinued treatment due to adverse events.
If the drug is approved, Lilly said it is “confident in its ability to launch orforglipron worldwide without supply constraints.”
“As a convenient once-daily pill, orforglipron may provide a new option and, if approved, could be readily manufactured and launched at scale for use by people around the world,” said Lilly CEO David A. Ricks.