(NewsNation) — A daily pill could be as effective for weight loss as popular drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, providing an alternative to the injectable medications.
The pill, orforglipron, is also a GLP-1 drug, working in a similar way to Ozempic, but comes in a form much easier to take.
Here’s what you need to know about the drug.
How effective is Eli Lilly’s new weight loss pill compared to Ozempic?
A phase 3 trial of the medication showed diabetic patients lost nearly 8% of their body weight, which came out to about 16 pounds, over 40 weeks. That is actually slightly better than Ozempic, where the average weight loss amounts to approximately 6% of body weight.
What are the side effects of the new weight loss pill?
Side effects included diarrhea, indigestion, constipation, nausea and vomiting, all of which are also known side effects of injectable GLP-1 drugs.
Pfizer announced it stopped development of a similar drug because a patient in a trial experienced possible drug-induced liver failure. Eli Lilly said there were no instances of liver failure from the pill in the trial phase.
How much will the new pill cost?
Eli Lilly hasn’t announced a price for orforglipron. Wegovy costs about $1,300 a month, and some analysts have predicted the company could set a price under $1,000 to compete with medications currently on the market.
How will Eli Lilly’s reshoring push impact the availability of the pill in the US?
The company has already been stockpiling orforglipron, but it hasn’t said where the drug is currently being manufactured or how tariffs could affect the availability or price.
The company has pledged to produce the entire supply of the drug in the U.S. within five years but has not otherwise addressed where it will be made.
Can the new weight loss pill treat chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes?
GLP-1 medications were originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, and orforglipron also shows promise in that area.
Eli Lilly said it plans to submit the pill to the Food and Drug Administration for approval as a weight loss medication this year and for approval as a diabetes drug in 2026. It will ultimately be up to the agency to decide what it can be approved to treat.
Are there any dietary or lifestyle changes recommended while taking the new weight loss pill?
There are no food or water restrictions for those taking orforglipron.
However, research on other GLP-1 medications has shown that patients often regain weight when they stop taking the drugs. One method to try to reduce rebound weight gain is to develop new habits and lifestyle changes around food and exercise while on the medication to help keep from regaining weight when someone stops taking it.
What is the expected timeline for the availability of the new weight loss pill on the market?
Eli Lilly plans to submit orforglipron to the FDA for approval as a weight loss drug this year. But the real timeline depends on the agency, which could take months or even longer to review the drug.
Some experts have predicted it could be on the market by the second half of 2026.
What are the regulatory hurdles Eli Lilly might face in launching the new weight loss pill?
The FDA will review data from the clinical trials when deciding whether the drug should be approved.
One big hurdle that could appear is the opinion of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy has been a critic of GLP-1 drugs, saying people should simply eat a healthier diet.
It’s unusual for a Cabinet member to weigh in on a specific medication approval, but Kennedy has taken a number of unconventional actions since his appointment, and it’s not clear how much sway his opinion will hold when it comes to agency decisions.