Emma Rosemurgey
Mounjaro manufacturer Eli Lilly has unveiled the test results of its new oral GLP-1 medication, orforglipron.
The obesity pill, which is designed to be taken daily by patients who are severely overweight, helped users lose almost 12 percent of their body weight by 72 weeks.
The late stage trial saw patients lose an average of around 27lbs, falling slightly short of the anticipated 15 percent weight loss predicted by analysts.
Nevertheless, the pharmaceutical company now plans to use the 'positive data' to submit the drug for regulatory review before the end of the year in a bid to 'address the urgent public health need' to reduce obesity.
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"Obesity is one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time, driving global chronic disease burden and impacting more than one billion people worldwide," executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, Kenneth Custer, said in a statement.
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"With orforglipron, we're working to transform obesity care by introducing a potential once-daily oral therapy that could support early intervention and long-term disease management, while offering a convenient alternative to injectable treatments. With these positive data in hand, we are now planning to submit orforglipron for regulatory review by year-end and are prepared for a global launch to address this urgent public health need."
Eli Lilly describes orforglipron as an 'investigational, once-daily small molecule (non-peptide) oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist that can be taken any time of the day without restrictions on food and water intake.'
Just like the injectable Tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro, the drug works by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone, regulating blood sugar and slowing down the digestion of food and reducing appetite.
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The current clinical trials are in phase 3, consisting of a 72 week randomised trial, comparing the efficiency and safety of orforglipron in three different dose sizes, in adults with obesity.
A number of people involved in the trial did report side effects akin to those experienced while taking GLP-1 injections, including vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea and indigestion.
Meanwhile, its reported the manufacturer had seen a 13 percent drop in market share value since the result of the trials were announced, after the pills failed to outshine its competitor, Ozempic creator Novo Nordisk's Rybelsus.
At the same time, Novo Nordisk's shares are said to be up 7 percent after boosting investor confidence as the market leading obesity treatment.