Daily GLP-1 pill could work as well as Ozempic

Rebecca Robbins and Gina Kolata report for the New York Times that a new pill to be taken each day could do as much to lower blood sugar and help with weight loss as Ozempic and Mounjaro, injectable weight-loss medicines. The FDA has not yet approved the pill for sale and is not likely to do so before next year.

What’s the value of Eli Lilly’s orforglipron pill? The pill conceivably could be cheaper than the current GLP-1 drugs because it costs less to manufacture a pill than an injectable drug. And, unlike an injectable, the pill does not need to be refrigerated or injected. The market for a GLP-1 pill is significant because many people do not want to inject themselves.

Lilly reports that, in a clinical trial, two-thirds of the 559 people who took the pill saw their blood sugar levels fall to the normal range. Lilly further reports that people who took the highest pill dose lost an average of 16 pounds.

But, it’s not yet clear whether the clinical trial data supports Lilly’s claims about the efficacy of its new pill. Side effects, such as diarrhea and nausea could be worse than claimed, and benefits could be smaller than claimed. Independent experts are not expected to analyze Lily’s data until June.

Axios reports that Lilly’s Zepbound, an injectable GLP-1 drug, delivered a greater amount of weight loss over 18 weeks for people without diabetes than people who took the pill. People had between 15.3 percent and 36.2 percent weight loss,, according to the data.

Today, one in eight Americans have taken a GLP-1. But, about four in ten Americans are obese. So, there’s a huge market for GLP-1 drugs.

N.B.: Medicare currently only covers weight-loss medicines for people with diabetes and heart disease. It does not cover these medicines for people who simply want to lose weight.

Here’s more from Just Care:

Daily GLP-1 pill could work as well as Ozempic

Comments