Daily fat busting PILL made by Mounjaro maker helps patients shed almost two stone, trial finds
A blockbuster weight loss pill from the maker of Mounjaro helped patients shed almost two stone, shock trial results have shown.
A groundbreaking final stage trial showed users could lose more than 10 per cent of their weight after just over a year on the experimental drug orforglipron.
Participants, who were overweight or obese and had type 2 diabetes, also benefited from reductions in bad cholesterol, blood fats and blood pressure.
The pill works by targeting the same GLP-1 receptors as Blockbuster weight-loss jabs Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, which suppress appetite and make users fill fuller for longer.
But it marks another step towards a needle-free alternative to weight loss medication.
Manufacturer Lilly has not yet decided how much the drug will cost, however, the pill is easier to produce and transport that injections so will likely be a cheaper option.
It can be stored at room temperature and taken at any time of day, with or without food.
Lilly said it now has the full clinical trial data package required to file for approvals of the drug with global regulators.
Manufacturer Lilly said the once-a-day pill could be launched ‘at scale’ worldwide and ‘without supply constraints’ as early as next year
Last month, the pharmaceutical giant revealed it expects to launch the pill around the world ‘this time next year’.
In the latest trial, the highest dose of orforglipron helped patients lose 10.5 per cent of their weight, or 22.9 pounds (1.63 stone), on average at 72 weeks, compared to 2.2 per cent weight loss among those who took a placebo.
By comparison, the 12-mg and 6-mg orforglipron doses triggered an average weight reduction of 7.8 per cent (17.4 pounds) and 5.5 per cent (12.1 pounds), respectively.
The drug’s average weight loss in the study was 9.6 per cent when analysing all patients regardless of discontinuations.
The side effects of Lilly’s pill were mainly gastrointestinal, such as nausea and vomiting, and were mild to moderate in severity.
An estimated 23.1 per cent of those who took the highest dose experienced vomiting, while 36.4 per cent and 27.4 per cent had nausea and diarrhea, respectively.
Existing GLP-1 injections such as Mounjaro have shown greater weight loss than Lilly’s pill.
But having an oral option that offers more than 10 per cent for patients with both obesity and Type 2 diabetes is ‘actually very good, so that’s positive,’ Dr Caroline Apovian, co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said.
Previous studies found people injected with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, lost 14 per cent of their body weight over 72 weeks.
And those taking tirzepatide, known as Mounjaro or the ‘king kong’ of weight-loss jabs, lost 20 per cent of their body weight over the the same period.
At least half a million NHS patients and some 15million patients in the US are now thought to be using weight-loss jabs, which can help patients lose up to 20 per cent of their body weight in just a few months.
And the numbers using them privately are even higher.
Under official guidelines, only patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 and at least one weight-related health problem like high blood pressure, or those who have a BMI of 30 to 34.9 and meet the criteria for referral to a specialist weight management service, should be prescribed weight loss jabs.
Around two in three adults in the UK are obese or overweight, giving the country one of the highest obesity rates in Europe.
Last year, a sobering report also suggested Britain’s spiraling obesity levels have fuelled a staggering 39 per cent rise in type 2 diabetes among people under 40, with 168,000 Brits now living with the illness.
Piling on the pounds has also been linked to at least 13 types of cancer and is the second biggest cause of the disease in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK.
