First ever daily Ozempic-like PILL helps users shed up to 2st – and could be available within months
WEIGHT OFF First ever daily Ozempic-like PILL helps users shed up to 2st – and could be available within months
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A DAILY weight loss pill that works like Ozempic can help users shed an average of almost two stone, a study reveals.
People popping the slimming pills lost an average of 12.4 per cent of their body weight after 72 weeks in a groundbreaking final-stage trial.
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Slimming pills could be available as early as next year Credit: Getty
Bad cholesterol, blood fats and high blood pressure also dropped and stayed low, suggesting the one-a-day tablets could treat other conditions.
Manufacturer Eli Lilly and Company, which also makes the blockbuster weight loss injection Mounjaro, announced the highly anticipated results today.
Dr Kenneth Custer, Lily's president, said: "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."
The weight loss achieved with orforglipron appears comparable to, though slightly lower than, that seen with Novo Nordisk's weekly obesity jab, Wegovy.
Manufacturer Lilly said the first-of-its-kind pill could be launched "at scale" worldwide as early as next year.
It now plans to apply for regulatory approval within months.
Orforglipron is a drug known as a GLP-1 receptor agonist, the same as wildly popular jabs Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.
They work by mimicking hormones that tell the brain the stomach is full, releasing insulin to break down sugar in the blood.
This also switches off hunger signals, so the patient eats less and avoids weight gain.
Sun Health Explainer: Fat jabs
Lily's 72-week study involved 3,127 adults who were obese or were overweight and had a weight-related medical problem.
Participants were given either a fake pill or one of three possible doses of orforglipron.
All three doses delivered "clinically meaningful weight loss".
A 36mg dose - the highest dose - led to 12.4 per cent weight loss, over the course of the study, known as ATTAIN-1.
People taking a fake tablet lost 0.9 per cent.
The popularity of GLP-1 slimming injections has rocketed in the past two years because they cause such easy, rapid weight loss.
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Around a third of adults in the UK are obese and the rate has doubled since the 1990s.
But the side effects can be severe, and the jabs can also be expensive - usually costing between £100 - £300 per month.
Lilly has not yet decided how much the pills will cost.
But it is expected they will be cheaper than their jab counterparts as the pills are easier and cheaper to produce.
Orforglipron is also easier to use as it can be stored at room temperature and taken at any time of day.
Side effects on the tablet were similar to the weight-loss injections.
Nausea was the most common side effect in the trial, affecting up to one in three people, with some also getting constipation and/or diahorrea.
Dr Kenneth, said: "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."
Dr Simon Cork, Senior Lecturer in Physiology, Anglia Ruskin University, added: 'These early results on the effectiveness of orforglipron in promoting clinically significant weight loss are a positive step forward in the development of these class of drugs.
'It should be noted that their effects on weight loss are not as profound as that seen in injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Wegovy, with a lower percentage weight loss and fewer people achieving 10 per cent weight loss at the highest dose.
'Nevertheless, that this medication is an oral form, rather than injectable, will likely be seen as more tolerable for many patients.
"The manufacturing costs are also anticipated to be significantly lower than injectable drugs, meaning these medications may be more equitable in their availability.
'It should be noted that these are preliminary, non-peer reviewed results and we will need to see the full trial methodology and data before a more comprehensive analysis can be undertaken.'
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