Pharmaceutical company, Lilly, reported last Thursday that the company’s GLP-1 drug in pill form, orforglipron, completed a Phase 3 trial showing excellent results in comparison with the company’s two injectable GLP-1 drugs, Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss.

The trial was conducted with patients being treated for type 2 diabetes and obesity. The trial involved 559 patients from the U.S., China, India, Japan, and Mexico. The 40-week trial with a once-daily pill generated the following results:

• A 15% decline in A1C, which measures blood sugar
• More than 65% of participants achieved an A1C level below 6.5% — the threshold considered diabetic
• A 7.9% average weight loss, vs. 1.7% for the placebo

Orforglipron was generally well-tolerated with “a safety profile consistent with injectable GLP-1 therapies,” according to a news release from Lilly. The side effects are those typical of GLP-1 receptor agonists: gastrointestinal distress from mild to moderate in severity. Specifically, in this trial, at the highest dosage level, participants experienced:

• 26% diarrhea (vs. 9% for placebo)
• 16% nausea (vs. 2% for placebo)
• 14% constipation (vs. 4% for placebo)
• 14% vomiting (vs. 1% for placebo)

Only 8% of participants abandoned the trial before completion compared with 1% for the placebo. Orforglipron can be taken at any time of the day and has no food or water intake restrictions. Based on the results, “Lilly expects to submit orforglipron for weight management to global regulatory agencies by the end of this year,” according to a the company’s news release. Lilly chairman and CEO, David A. Ricks, said:

As a convenient once-daily pill, orforglipron may provide a new option and, if approved, could be readily manufactured and launched at scale for use by people around the world.

Lilly’s stock price soared 16% on April 17 after the phase 3 trial results were released. TODAY referred to the new drug as a “gamechanger,” noting that many people will prefer to take the pill version of Zepbound or other GLP-1 drugs. Axios interviewed several experts, who indicated that the combination of a lower price and easier-to-take form could “blow open the door to more users.”

Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk, maker of GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, saw their stock price plummet another 7% the same day. The Danish company’s stock price has taken a beating lately as a new clinical trial reported disappointing results while a competitor, Roche, announced its own GLP-1 drug.

Written by Steve O’Keefe. First published April 22, 2025.

Sources:

“Lilly’s oral GLP-1, orforglipron, demonstrated statistically significant efficacy results and a safety profile consistent with injectable GLP-1 medicines in successful Phase 3 trial,” Lilly News Release, April 17, 2025.

“What to know about a new promising GLP-1 pill for weight loss and diabetes,” TODAY, April 17, 2025.

“Eli Lilly stock soars on encouraging results for daily weight-loss pill,” Axios, April 17, 2025.

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