Eli Lilly's Orglifron Shows Promise in Weight Loss and Diabetes Management

Drugmaker Eli Lilly announced that it has successfully completed a Phase 3 study of a daily pill, Orglifron, which could lower blood sugar and aid weight loss. The pills may serve as an alternative to popular but costly GLP-1 injections.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, less than 30% of Phase 3 studies are successful.

The study found that participants who took Orglifron lost an average of 9.7 pounds when taking a 3-milligram dose for 40 weeks. The weight loss increased to 12.2 pounds for those taking 6-milligram doses and 16 pounds for those on a 36-milligram dose.

The study also found that participants lowered their A1C levels by an average of 1.3% to 1.6% from a baseline of 8.0%.

"We are pleased to see that our latest incretin medicine meets our expectations for safety and tolerability, glucose control, and weight loss, and we look forward to additional data readouts later this year," said David A. Ricks, Lilly chair and CEO. "As a convenient once-daily pill, Orglifron may provide a new option and, if approved, could be readily manufactured and launched at scale for use by people around the world."

The company did not set a timeline for when it would seek approval from government regulators.