Eli Lilly has reported positive results from its phase 3 trial evaluating its glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) orforglipron, with an average weight loss of 12.4% (27.3 lbs) for participants taking 36 mg compared 0.9% (2.2 lbs) weight loss for the placebo.
Orforglipron is a once-daily pill that has demonstrated similar safety and tolerability to injectable GLP-1 therapies at 72 weeks.
This is the first of two phase 3 trials evaluating orforglipron for the treatment of obesity in adults. The trial involved 3,127 patients who were obese or were overweight with a weight-related medical problem but without diabetes. The participants faced no food or water restrictions.
Orforglipron will compete with Novo Nordisk’s oral formulation of Wegovy (semaglutide). The FDA accepted Novo's NDA submission in May and a decision is expected in Q4 2025. The application is based on results from the phase 3 OASIS 4 trial, in which there was a drop of 13.6% in body weight with oral semaglutide vs just 2.2% with placebo.