Featured Image Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images
Topics: Weight loss, Ozempic, Health, US News
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Weight loss, Ozempic, Health, US News
A daily GLP-1 pill that works in a similar way to Ozempic is nearing FDA approval.
The tablet, orforglipron, is produced by US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, which is also behind injectables Mounjaro and Zepbound,
While the likes of Ozempic, from Novo Nordisk, and Mounjaro are only approved to treat diabetes, other injectables, such as Wegovy, are prescribed purely for weight loss.
GLP-1 medications help regulate blood sugar by increasing insulin and slowing digestion which in turn reduces appetite.
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Now, orforglipron has shown strong results in a major clinical trial of more than 1,600 people with type 2 diabetes.
Research led by obesity-medicine specialist Deborah Horn of the University of Texas, published this week in The Lancet, tells a promising story.
Over 72 weeks, participants took a differing doses of the daily pill.
Those on the highest dose, 36 mg, lost an incredible 9.6 percent of their body weight on average.
People on 12 mg shed 7 percent, those taking 6 mg lost 5.1 percent and those on a placebo pill lost only 2.5 percent in comparison.
Better yet, some 26 percent people of the highest dose lost more than 15 percent of their bodyweight.
Not only did it help shed the pounds, but it improved peoples' blood glucose levels, inflammation and blood sugar.
The authors wrote in their paper: "Overall the findings indicate that orforglipron could address the unmet need for oral therapy by achieving outcomes similar to those of injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists, potentially shifting treatment paradigms."
Orforglipron’s results are slightly weaker than tirzepatide injections, such as Mounjaro and Zepbound, which saw up to 15 percent body weight loss in diabetics.
However, as the pill is more considered more convenient over a weekly injection, it could be an absolute game-changer.
Orforglipron is also predicted to be significantly cheaper than its injectable counterparts.
NRP reported that drug companies have agreements with the Trump administration to sell future obesity pills for $149 a month cash price.
The average cost for injectable GLP-1 drugs in the US is a little under $1,000, according to multiple reports.
Study lead Horn added: "We know it is harder for individuals with diabetes to lose weight. It is exciting to have an oral medication that provides double-digit weight loss.
"Once FDA approved, orforglipron is scheduled to be available in 2026 at a significantly decreased cost compared to current injectables.
"This could position it to be the 'metformin' of obesity and become widely covered by insurance plans, opening the door to treatment for all."
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told LADbible Group: "We are working closely with the FDA to ensure we can bring Wegovy® in a pill (oral semaglutide), the first oral GLP-1 RA for obesity, to the US early next year. In addition, in September 2025, Novo Nordisk submitted oral semaglutide 25 mg to the EMA. Pending approval, Novo Nordisk is considering launching oral semaglutide 25 mg in select EU markets."
LADbible Group contacted Eli Lilly for comment.