A groundbreaking weight-loss pill made by the manufacturer of Mounjaro is expected to be available in the UK next year, the firm’s boss has said.
The development heralds a major change in the production and administration of effective weight-loss injections, which have taken parts of the world by storm in recent years.
Every week, around 1.5 million people in the UK using drugs such as Mounjaro and Ozempic must currently inject themselves to receive a dose of the waistline-trimming medication.
But a daily orally delivered tablet is expected to appeal to an even larger market, and could also pave the way to these drugs being more widely available in developing countries.
The new pill, known as Orforglipron and under development by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, has successfully completed its stage 3 trials, the company announced.
“Taken once per day without food and water restrictions, it lowered weight by an average of 10.5 per cent (22.9 lbs) compared to 2.2 per cent (5.1 lbs) with a placebo,” the firm said, adding that the results were comparable to those seen with Mounjaro injections.
Kenneth Custer, executive vice president at Eli Lilly, said: “With these positive data in hand, we are moving with urgency toward global regulatory submissions to potentially meet the needs of patients who are waiting.
“If approved, we are ready to offer a convenient, once-daily pill that can be scaled globally – removing barriers and redefining how obesity is treated around the world.”
For the UK, that could happen quickly. Patrik Jonsson, international president of Eli Lilly, believes the pill could be worth $100bn (£75bn) by 2030 and said the UK “will be one of the first countries” to get it, according to The Times.
“I would expect to see Orforglipron in the UK in 2026, subject to regulatory approval,” he added.
Obesity expert Louis Aronne, the founder and chair emeritus of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, said: “Orforglipron could help health care providers expand treatment options for patients who prefer oral therapies without compromising clinical results.”
The pill is also being studied as a potential treatment for obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension in adults with obesity, Eli Lilly said in a statement.
The company’s next moonshot could be a health and societal game-changer – a single shot that could cure obesity for good, Mr Jonsson told The Times.
He said: “The dream for our researchers, what inspires them, is actually a once-and-done treatment on obesity. You get one shot and then you’re taken care of for the rest of your life.”
