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Daily Pill Maintains 70% of Weight Loss vs 38-50% on Placebo One Year After Stopping GLP-1 Injections
A new study shows patients taking daily orforglipron kept more than 70 percent of prior weight loss after one year off jabs, compared with 38-50 percent for those on placebo. The Eli Lilly drug, already available in the US at around $149 per month for the lowest dose, offers a cheaper oral alternative to injections costing over $1,000 monthly.
May 12, 7:06 PM·2m read1 source
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A daily tablet called orforglipron helped patients maintain more than 70 percent of earlier weight loss one year after stopping GLP-1 injections, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine. The research, funded by Eli Lilly which also manufactures Mounjaro, involved 376 participants in the US.
Those participants had been on tirzepatide (Mounjaro) or semaglutide (Wegovy) for more than a year and had successfully lost weight on the GLP-1 jabs.
Participants stopped the injections and received either daily orforglipron or placebo for one year in the double-blind trial. Those taking orforglipron kept more than 70 percent of their earlier weight loss off after one year, while participants taking placebo kept around 38-50 percent of their earlier weight loss off.
Orforglipron is a daily tablet already available in the US and could soon launch in the UK.
In the US, orforglipron costs around $149 per month for the lowest dose. Some GLP-1 injections cost over $1,000 per month in the US. It is not known how much orforglipron would cost in the UK. President Donald Trump has announced deals that aim to lower the cost of popular weight-loss drugs.
Novo Nordisk has an oral version of its injectable GLP-1 drug Wegovy. Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy has been approved in the US. A UK decision on Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy is pending. Side effects of orforglipron were common but mostly mild and included nausea, constipation or diarrhoea.
Dr Simon Cork from Anglia Ruskin University described the research as a "really important study" that addresses a key limitation with injectable GLP-1 based weight loss medications. "What is also important to note is that the decrease in blood pressure, lipids and blood glucose were also maintained in those patients taking oral medications," he added.
