Ellie Kemp
A new weight loss drug that's being trialled as a daily pill and could rival Ozempic has delivered some astonishing results.
One in eight Americans have reportedly tried GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic - a type of medication aimed at helping those with type 2 diabetes. Although some have said they come with some unpleasant side effects.
Ozempic isn't FDA approved to help with weight loss, but other drugs containing GLP-1 receptor agonists - like semaglutide (Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda) - are.
But now pharma giants Eli Lilly might have just made a major breakthrough on diabetes and weight loss, in the form of a pill.
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Called orforglipron, it's taken orally once a day.
Similar to other Ozempic-like drugs, the pill is part of the GLP-1 receptor family, which help regulate blood sugar and appetite.
There is a GLP-1 pill on the market now called Rybelsus, however it has strict food-timing rules and could cause some strong nausea.
However, Orforglipron doesn't need to be taken with food - or even water, as Very Well Health reports.
Plus, it's better than jabbing yourself with a needle once a week.
Although it's the results from medical trials so far that have been eye-opening, yielding some incredible results.
In a 40-week trial, Orforglipron was found to have lowered peoples' A1C - a key blood sugar marker - by up to 1.6 percent.
Even more astonishingly, two-thirds of people on the highest dose, 36 milligrams, ended up with blood sugar levels below the diabetes threshold.
All thanks to popping a once-a-day tablet.
Researchers also looked into weight loss, and participants were found to have lost an average of eight percent of their body weight, which was around 16 pounds.
This was found in those who'd taken the pill at its highest dose.
The company said the participants had not yet reached a weight loss plateau by the time the study ended, and it's possible more weight could've been lost had the trial continued.
Orforglipron does come with a few side effects, but they're mild and pretty common for GLP-1 medications, such as a bad stomach.
More importantly, it doesn't bring on any liver issues - which is a big deal since Pfizer just scrapped their own version of a GLP-1 pill over a potential liver injury.
So what’s next?
Eli Lilly is aiming for FDA approval to sell Orforglipron for weight loss later this year, and for diabetes by 2026.
Could this be the very drug to overtake Ozempic and other similar injectables on the market? It's sounding promising...