An experimental daily weight loss pill has helped some people shed 12.4 per cent of their body weight in a milestone trial.
Development of weight loss drugs has become something of an arms race in health care, as manufacturers look to develop the most effective, affordable alternatives to existing products such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro.
The drugs work by mimicking a natural hormone in the body that regulates blood sugar and appetite.
While those drugs are all injectable, Orforglipron developed by US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly comes in tablet form, making it a potential game-changer for patients.
A trial of 3,127 patients who took a daily pill for 72 weeks saw an average weight loss per person of 12.3kg.
While injectable obesity drugs are peptides designed to replicate the appetite-controlling GLP-1 hormone, Orforglipron is a small molecule pill that is easier to manufacture and package.
In the latest study of overweight or obese adults with weight-related health issues, the greatest weight loss was recorded in those taking the highest 36 milligram dose of Orforglipron.
However, significant weight loss was also recorded in those taking a lower dose of just 6mg, with patients shedding 7.6 per cent of their weight.
None of those involved in the study had diabetes, a condition for which Ozempic was initially manufactured to treat.
Full results from the Lilly-backed trial will be presented next month at a major European diabetes meeting.
"Obesity is one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time, driving global chronic disease burden and impacting more than one billion people worldwide," said Kenneth Custer, executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health.
"With Orforglipron, we're working to transform obesity care by introducing a potential once-daily oral therapy that could support early intervention and long-term disease management, while offering a convenient alternative to injectable treatments.
"With these positive data in hand, we are now planning to submit Orforglipron for regulatory review by year-end and are prepared for a global launch to address this urgent public health need."
According to the Global Obesity Observatory, about 26 per cent of adult men in the UAE are obese, and 30 per cent of women, leading to multiple related health problems, from heart disease to cancer.
Multiple health benefits
Weight loss drugs are proving to have multiple health benefits, and have the potential to treat multiple chronic ailments that cost global health authorities billions of dollars to treat.
Wegovy, a drug approved for weight loss in the UAE, has been proven to reduce the risk of major heart problems, while the injectable diabetes drug Mounjaro has also been shown to have heart protective qualities.
Early research has shown Orforglipron also lowered markers of heart disease risk, including cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure, across all doses.
The most common side effects reported by patients involved in the Eli Lilly study were mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal issues, such as nausea and vomiting in a third of patients on the higher dosage.
Weight-loss drug markets are expected to be worth $150 billion by 2030.
A high dose oral version of Wegovy is also under consideration by the US Food and Drug Administration. Its manufacturer, Novo Nordisk said a recent trial showed the drug helped overweight or obese adults lose 15 per cent of their body weight.
Global impact of obesity drugs
The meteoric rise of Copenhagen-based Novo Nordisk drugs Ozempic and Wegovy fuelled double-digit growth in Denmark’s economy.
Ripples of that success have been felt around the world.
Restaurants in Dubai are tweaking menus to suit those on weight-loss jabs, serving smaller portions high in protein, while tailors are being pressed into action to reduce the size of well-worn clothes.
Meanwhile in the US, recent shortages of GLP-1 medications prompted The Obesity Action Coalition and The Obesity Society to call for increased regulations around compounding, where generic drugs are replicated without FDA approval.
Once shortages were resolved, campaign groups called for greater enforcement of federal regulations and to discontinue production of generic drugs.
“GLP-1 medications have made a transformative impact in the obesity care space,” said Joseph Nadglowski, president and chief executive of Obesity Action Coalition.
"As these medicines continue to grow in popularity, regulatory action and enforcement is critically needed at the state and federal level to ensure that patients have access to safe, FDA-approved treatments.”
