Weight loss pills are cheaper and easier to use than jabs (Image: Getty)
A new daily weight loss pill can help patients with type 2 diabetes lose more weight and better control their blood sugar than the current GLP-1 tablets, a study found. The pill, orforglipron, works in the same way as jabs like Wegovy by mimicking hormones that lower blood sugar, slow digestion and reduce appetite.
It was tested in a study against a tablet version of semaglutide — the active ingredient in Wegovy. Orforglipron is also easier to take, as semaglutide must be taken in the morning 30 minutes before patients eat anything. Writing in The Lancet medical journal, researchers led by Dr Julio Rosenstock, a diabetes expert at the University of Texas, said the pill could offer “a new highly efficacious and safe option” for people who want to lose weight and control their blood sugar without injections or eating restrictions.
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They added: “Orforglipron represents an important advancement in the oral treatment landscape for type 2 diabetes.”
The study involved almost 1,700 people in Argentina, China, Japan, Mexico and the USA. They were randomly assigned to receive either a daily 12mg or 36mg dose of orforglipron, or a 7mg or 14mg dose of semaglutide.
After one year, those taking orforglipron had seen greater weight loss and larger decreases in their HbA1c levels, which measure average glucose over two to three months.
People taking the new drug lost between 6% to 8% of their body weight during the study period. Those taking semaglutide lost 4% to 5% of their total body weight.
Some 21-31% of those taking orforglipron brought their blood sugar back down to near-normal levels, compared with 7-12% of those on semaglutide.
Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine and honorary consultant at the University of Glasgow, said: “These are important findings.
“The more effective oral medicines we have to help people with Type 2 diabetes lose weight and keep it off, the better.”
Prof Sattar noted that the dose of oral semaglutide used in the study was “relatively modest”. He added: “Higher doses are now approved for weight management and are expected to be tested in people with diabetes as well.
“Currently, oral semaglutide has the advantage of proven cardiovascular benefit, whereas similar evidence for orforglipron is not yet available. Ongoing trials should provide clarity soon.
“Overall, the field is moving toward treatments that meaningfully improve weight, blood sugar, and cardiovascular risk at the same time.”
Weight loss tablets are cheaper and easier to mass-produce and transport than jabs.
One form of oral semaglutide sold under the brand name Rybelsus is available on the NHS, often as an option for patients with type 2 diabetes who do not like needles. A pill version of Wegovy was also recently approved in the USA.
Orforglipron’s manufacturer, Lilly, has submitted data to the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, for both diabetes treatment and weight loss.
Around 5.8 million people are thought to be living with diabetes in the UK, and 90% have type 2 which is often linked to lifestyle factors.
Douglas Twenefour, head of clinical at Diabetes UK, said GLP-1 drugs were “effective tools for both weight loss and type 2 diabetes management, so we welcome these latest findings”.
He added: “It’s vital that people living with obesity and type 2 diabetes have access to a range of safe and effective treatments to ensure they can find the option that best fits their preference and clinical needs.
“If approved, an oral option like orforglipron could also support more people to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes and help tackle the impact of ill health caused by obesity.”
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