Latest news with #orforglipron
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
What to know about game-changing new weight-loss pill that could be prescribed on the NHS
Is it more or less effective than weight-loss jabs? A new study found the pill could help shed 12% of body weight. A daily pill that could help people lose a significant amount of weight – without injections – has shown promising early results in a major trial. The drug, called orforglipron, works in a similar way to known weight-loss jabs like Wegovy and Mounjaro, targeting hormones that regulate appetite and digestion. But instead of a weekly injection, it's taken daily in tablet form. In a study of more than 3,000 adults, those on the highest dose lost an average of 12.4% of their body weight over 72 weeks (almost 17 months) – that's nearly two stone for some. The trial also reported improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure and heart health, according to the study. Manufacturer Eli Lilly, the American pharmaceutical company which also created Mounjaro, says it plans to seek regulatory approval by the end of the year. Experts are cautiously optimistic, but stress the results are still preliminary and not yet peer reviewed. Here's what we know about the weight-loss pill so far. How does the weight-loss pill compare to injections? In head-to-head comparisons, injectables still lead on weight loss. Trials show Mounjaro users lose around 20% of their body weight, and Wegovy users about 13–14%. orforglipron's 12.4% average is slightly lower – but experts say its convenience could make it appealing. Kenneth Custer, the president of Eli Lilly, said: "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." In the trial, nearly 60% of people on the top dose lost at least 10% of their body weight, and almost 40% lost 15% or more. What about side effects? The safety profile looks similar to other GLP-1 or weight-loss drugs, like Wegovy and Mounjaro. In the trial, the most common side effects – of which some participants reported more than one – were stomach-related: Nausea: 33.7% Constipation: 25.4% Diarrhoea: 23.1% Vomiting: 24.0% Indigestion: 14.1% Most side effects were mild to moderate, but they were enough to make some people stop treatment. Around one in 10 people on the top dose dropped out because of side effects, compared to about one in forty in the placebo group, those given a dummy pill with no active medicine. "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," Dr Simon Cork, senior lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University told The Times. "It should be noted that their effects on weight loss are not as profound as those 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," he added. Who could get the weight-loss pill on the NHS? If approved, orforglipron would likely be prescribed under similar rules to existing weight-loss drugs. Currently, Wegovy is offered to people with a BMI of at least 35 plus a weight-related condition, or a BMI of 30–34.9 if referred to specialist services. Mounjaro is approved for those with a BMI over 30, or 27–30 with health issues such as pre-diabetes or high blood pressure. Any rollout would almost certainly involve combining the pill with the recommended reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, just like the current injections. How much will the weight-loss pills cost? There's no official price tag yet for orforglipron. Eli Lilly hasn't confirmed how much it will sell for if approved, but experts expect it to be cheaper to manufacture than injections like Wegovy or Mounjaro. That could mean a lower cost for the NHS, and potentially make it more accessible for patients if offered privately. Read more about weight loss: Who can get new weight-loss jab Mounjaro on the NHS? (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read) Alison Hammond reveals why she is 'frightened' of weight loss medications (Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read) Obesity rates may start falling this year due to weight loss jabs, seller says (Sky News, 4-min read)
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First Post
a day ago
- Health
- First Post
Will a new pill beat out other weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro?
Eli Lilly's weight-loss pill, orforglipron, shows promising results in trials, offering a needle-free alternative to injectables like Ozempic and Mounjaro. In a major study, people who took the drug lost more than 12 per cent of their body weight. Is it better than popular injectables? read more A daily pill called orforglipron, developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, is showing impressive results in people trying to manage their weight and blood sugar. Representational Image/Pixabay Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro have changed the game for people trying to manage their weight and blood sugar. But there's always been one big drawback: they have to be injected. For many, that's been enough to stop them from trying these medications at all. Now, there's a new option on the horizon that could make things a lot easier. A daily pill called orforglipron, developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, is showing impressive results in clinical trials, and you don't need a needle to take it. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a major study, people who took orforglipron lost more than 12 per cent of their body weight, putting it on par with the results seen from popular injectables. The company shared the findings on Thursday, and if it gets approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, the pill could hit shelves as early as next year. So, could this be a game-changer? How does it compare to what's already out there, and what are the downsides, if any? Here's what we know so far. What did the clinical trial reveal? Orforglipron belongs to the same class of medications as Ozempic and Mounjaro: GLP-1 receptor agonists. The drug mimics GLP-1, a hormone the body produces after eating, which can decrease appetite and help the body manage insulin production. But unlike Ozempic and Mounjaro, which are injected weekly, orforglipron is taken once a day as a pill, with no food or water restrictions. In a Phase 3 clinical trial, which involved 3,127 participants, those who took the highest dose of orforglipron for 72 weeks lost an average of 27 pounds (12 kg), or 12.4 per cent of their body weight, according to Eli Lilly. In contrast, people on the placebo lost only around 2 pounds. The study included adults who were obese or overweight but did not have Type 2 diabetes. Participants also followed a healthy diet and exercise routine as part of the trial. But unlike Ozempic and Mounjaro, which are injected weekly, orforglipron is taken once a day as a pill, with no food or water restrictions. Representational image/Pixabay Beyond weight loss, the pill also showed positive results in lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and inflammation markers, the company said. In people with Type 2 diabetes, the pill also significantly improved blood sugar control. It reduced A1C levels, a key measure of blood glucose, by 1.3 per cent to 1.6 per cent over 40 weeks, with two-thirds of participants who took the highest dose of orforglipron reaching an A1C level below 6.5 per cent, down from a starting point of 8 per cent, according to the results published in The New England Journal of Medicine. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Is it better than Ozempic or Mounjaro? Orforglipron looks promising, but if you're comparing weight loss numbers alone, it doesn't quite match up to injectable drugs. Take Eli Lilly's own Zepbound, for instance. It's an injectable GLP-1 drug that's already approved for weight loss. In trials, people using it lost up to 21 per cent of their body weight over 72 weeks, nearly twice what was seen with orforglipron. But experts say the pill still fills an important gap. 'This is still going to have a significant role,' said Dr Natalie Azar, a medical contributor for NBC News, on the TODAY show. 'The big message here is that this is a pill.' Not everyone is comfortable with injections, especially for long-term use. A daily pill is easier to take, less intimidating, and could make weight-loss treatment more accessible to many. Orforglipron looks promising, but if you're comparing weight loss numbers alone, it doesn't quite match up to injectable drugs like Ozempic or Mounjaro. But experts say the pill still fills an important gap. Image for Representation Pixabay There's also the manufacturing side to consider. Pills are easier and cheaper to produce than injectable drugs, which often need to be refrigerated and handled with care. That makes them harder to distribute, especially in low-resource settings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Pills can be made at a much larger scale,' said Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly's cardiometabolic division, in an interview with The New York Times. 'There are orders of magnitude differences in how many we can support.' Pills are easier and cheaper to produce than injectable drugs, which often need to be refrigerated and handled with care. That makes them harder to distribute, especially in low-resource settings. Reuters In fact, Eli Lilly has already started manufacturing and stockpiling orforglipron so it's ready to go if and when it gets the green light. And since it's the only oral GLP-1 option in the pipeline right now, 'they have no competition,' added Dr Azar. What are the side effects? Like other GLP-1 drugs, orforglipron comes with some gastrointestinal side effects. Participants in the trial reported nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation. These symptoms are consistent with what patients experience when taking Ozempic, Mounjaro, or similar injectables. About 10 per cent of people taking the highest dose of orforglipron stopped the treatment due to side effects, Eli Lilly noted. Importantly, no signs of liver damage were observed during the trial. Still, medical professionals stress that even with a more convenient form, these drugs should only be taken under a doctor's supervision. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'It is not a silver bullet,' said Dr. Melanie Jay, an obesity researcher at NYU Langone, told TODAY. 'And we are finding that in real-world practice, we still have so much to learn about how to use these medicines.' With input from agencies
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
New weight loss pill more ‘tolerable' than jabs shown to be effective in key trial
A new daily weight loss pill could be available soon – and a recent trial has shown that people taking the drug can shed kilos in weeks. Its release will offer people with obesity a new and convenient alternative to jabs. Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly said it expects substantial demand when the new pill is launched. Lilly said it will seek approval by international regulators as it published the results of a large study into orforglipron. The new pill is a GLP-1 agonist, a type of medication which helps lower blood sugar levels, slows the digestion of food and can reduce appetite. The manufacturer also makes Mounjaro, dubbed the King Kong of weight loss jabs. Weight loss jabs have been hailed as transformative by health leaders. But injections come with additional work for over-stretched health services so tablet forms of medication, which are expected to be cheaper and easier to use, may offer a new hope for the millions of people looking to lose weight. The new study data on orforglipron showed that people taking the drug lost an average of 12.3 kilograms while taking the drug for 72 weeks compared with those not taking the drug. Three in five (60 per cent) of people taking the highest dose of orforglipron lost at least 10 per cent of their body weight, while 40 per cent lost at least 15 per cent of their body weight, according to the study, which is to be presented to the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting 2025. In addition to weight loss the people in the study also showed other health benefits, including improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure and heart disease risk. Experts highlighted how the tablet did not appear to yield the same benefits as some weight loss jabs, but said they will be more 'tolerable' for many patients. Lilly said the safety profile of the tablet is similar to other GLP-1 drugs, with gastrointestinal issues the most commonly reported side effect. The pill was assessed in a study of 3,127 adults who were obese or overweight, with a weight-related medical problem and without diabetes. '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,' said Lilly's Kenneth Custer. '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 at Anglia Ruskin University, said: 'These preliminary results on the effectiveness of orforglipron in promoting clinically significant weight loss are a positive step forward in the development of this 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.' It comes as a separate study highlighted the potential other benefits of using GLP-1s, also known as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor-agonists. They were initially developed as a treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and are now widely used to treat obesity and help people lose weight. The separate paper, from McGill University and the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at the Jewish General Hospital in Canada, examined the benefits of these drugs beyond weight loss by looking at trials which had assessed the drugs in other areas of medicine. Writing in the journal eClinicalMedicine, experts said GLP-1s may also play a role in improving liver disease; sleep apnoea; arthritis of the knee; polycystic ovary syndrome; Parkinson's disease; Alzheimer's disease and substance misuse. But they also highlighted potential safety issues linked to the drugs including potential issues with the pancreas and gall bladder. 'The therapeutic landscape for obesity and related metabolic conditions has evolved substantially with the emergence of GLP-1 RAs,' they wrote. 'These agents now play a central role not only in weight management and diabetes care but are also being investigated in a growing number of conditions, including cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, neurologic, and substance use disorders. 'As their indications expand, so must our understanding of long-term efficacy, safety, and patient-centred treatment strategies.'
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
LLY Earnings: Eli Lilly Sinks Despite Strong Q2 Beats
Eli Lilly (LLY) stock sank on Thursday following the release of the pharmaceutical company's Q2 2025 earnings report. That's despite the company's adjusted earnings per share of $6.31 and revenue of $15.56 billion. These were both above Wall Street's estimates of $5.60 per share and revenue of $14.7 billion. Also, adjusted EPS increased 61% and revenue rose 38% year-over-year. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. David Ricks, Chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly, said, 'Lilly delivered another quarter of strong performance, achieving 38% year-over-year revenue growth driven by robust sales of Zepbound and Mounjaro and sustained momentum across our key medicines.' LLY stock was down 7.35% in pre-market trading on Thursday, following a 2.56% drop yesterday. The shares have also decreased 2.96% year-to-date and 11.7% over the past 12 months. Pre-market trading had some 1.3 million shares exchanged, compared to a three-month daily average of about 3.2 million units. Eli Lilly Guidance Eli Lilly increased its guidance for 2025 in its latest earnings report. The company expects adjusted EPS to range from $21.75 to $23 on revenue between $60 billion and $62 billion. To put that in perspective, Wall Street estimates include adjusted EPS of $21.98 and revenue of $60.09 billion. With midpoints of $22.38 for EPS and $61 billion for revenue, Eli Lilly is on track to surpass analysts' full-year 2025 estimates. Unfortunately for Eli Lilly shareholders, the company also released clinical trial data for weight loss pill orforglipron today. The highest dosage resulted in a 12.4% drop in body fat, which met the primary endpoint but was below expectations. This news sent LLY shares lower despite today's strong earnings results. Is Eli Lilly Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? Turning to Wall Street, the analysts' consensus rating for Eli Lilly is Strong Buy, based on 17 Buy and three Hold ratings over the past three months. With that comes an average LLY stock price target of $1,016.69, representing a potential 36.22% upside for the shares. These ratings and price targets will likely change as analysts update their coverage after today's earnings report.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Eli Lilly Stock Is Plunging Today
Key Points Lilly's orforglipron achieved less weight loss than some Wall Street analysts expected. The relatively high patient discontinuation rate in the phase 3 study of the drug also raised eyebrows. Orforglipron could still become a big winner for Lilly, though. 10 stocks we like better than Eli Lilly › Shares of Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) were plunging 14.8% as of 11:14 a.m. ET on Thursday. The big drugmaker reported results for the second quarter of 2025 that beat expectations, with soaring sales of type 2 diabetes drug Mounjaro and weight-loss drug Zepbound. So why did Lilly's share price sink like a brick today? The company also announced results from a phase 3 study of its oral GLP-1 agonist, orforglipron, that caused concerns. Lilly's good news and bad news To be clear, orforglipron didn't flop in its late-stage study. The company said that all three doses of the experimental drug met the primary end point of the trial as well as all key secondary end points. Patients receiving a 36 mg dose of orforglipron once daily experienced an average weight loss of 12.4% (27.3 pounds) versus a weight loss of 0.9% (2.2 pounds) for patients receiving a placebo. One problem, though, was that some Wall Street analysts were expecting average weight loss of around 15%. Lilly also said that the overall patient discontinuation rate was 10.3% for the 36 mg dose versus only 2.6% for the placebo. This relatively high rate raised eyebrows for some physicians. However, CEO Dave Ricks said on CNBC Thursday morning that the company wasn't disappointed by orforglipron's late-stage results. An average weight loss in the ballpark of 12% with an oral drug could still be appealing to many patients and physicians. Is Lilly stock a smart buy on the dip? Sometimes stock sell-offs present great opportunities. I think that's the case now with Lilly. My view is that orforglipron will win regulatory approval and become another blockbuster drug for the company. Should you buy stock in Eli Lilly right now? Before you buy stock in Eli Lilly, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Eli Lilly wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $635,544!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,099,758!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,046% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 181% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025 Keith Speights has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Eli Lilly Stock Is Plunging Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
