Innovative new research is showing that orforglipron, a pill that is taken orally just once daily is leading to body weight losses of 20% or more. The study, funded by manufacturer, Eli Lilly, and published via The New England Journal of Medicine has found that orforglipron, which is technically an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (known for short as GLP-1), much like ozempic or wegovy, is leading to substantial weight loss in people living with obesity that do not have type 2 diabetes, making it a potential new treatment that could be easily accessed by the general public.

In clinical trials, participants who were provided with various dosages including 36mg of Orforglipron for 72 weeks. Of those who were on this protocol, 18.4% reduced their weight by 20% or more, and over half lost 10% or more. Other measurables such as waist circumference, blood pressure, and non-HDL cholesterol levels also tumbled.

As expected, there were some side effects given the fact that orforglipron is a GLP-1 medication, but this accounted for a 5-10% discontinuation rate due to mild to moderate gastrointestinal effects. The benefits are clear, however, since other GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide must be administered via subcutaneous injections, limiting the number of people who are willing to try and then adhere to those types of drugs.

Patients Receiving Orforglipron Had a Mean Weight Reduction of More Than 10%

“A weight reduction of 10% or more is a recognised therapeutic threshold, one that has been linked to meaningful cardiometabolic benefits,” said study lead Dr Sean Wharton and colleagues from McMaster University at Hamilton, ON, Canada. “In our current trial, patients who received orforglipron had a mean weight reduction of as much as 11.2%, and such reductions were associated with improvements in levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as blood fats, blood sugar profiles, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein—a marker of systemic inflammation.”

The trial was an extensive one, including a highly diverse cross-section of people from nine counties, with 35% of the study involving men. Still, the experts would now like to compare these results in future trials with existing GLP-1 treatments and open the experiment up to different weight bands to see who can benefit the most. If the drug is granted future approval, substituting a needle for a pill could have far reaching consequences. “This could mean an expansion of obesity interventions to groups who are currently excluded due to the cost of and lack of access to injectable medications,” said Wharton.