New drug in pill form saw people lose over a tenth of their body weight and could be key to offering the appetite-suppressing medication to more people on the NHS
A new weight loss pill has been developed by the makers of appetite-suppressing injection Mounjaro.
The new drug in pill form saw people lose over a tenth of their body weight and could be key to offering the drugs to more people on the NHS. The tablets suppress appetite by mimicking the same GLP-1 fullness hormone targeted by weight loss injections.
A global trial of 3,127 obese patients saw those on the pill called orforglipron lose an average of 11.2% of their body weight over a 17 month period. Lead researcher Dr Sean Wharton, of McMaster University in Canada, said: “This could mean an expansion of obesity interventions to groups who are currently excluded due to the cost of and lack of access to injectable medications.”
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Orforglipron has been developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly which produces the injection Mounjaro, which was dubbed the “King Kong” of weight loss drugs after trials showed users lost 21% of their body weight on average.
Weight loss jabs have been hailed as transformative in tackling obesity in people carrying dangerous amounts of excess weight but there are global shortages.
The NHS does not have the capacity to offer them to everyone who is eligible so is starting with those dangerously obese via specialist NHS weight loss services.
It has been estimated that around 1.5 million Britons are having weight loss jabs, mostly through costly private prescriptions. Experts believe that making appetite-suppressing drugs available on the NHS in pill form is key to widening access to more of the population.
The trial of orforglipron included patients in the US, China, Brazil, India, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Slovakia and Taiwan. As well as weight loss, other health outcomes also improved including better blood pressure, a smaller waist circumference and a reduction in bad cholesterol levels. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal “which were mild to moderate”, researchers said.
Dr Wharton added: “Weight reductions were associated with improvements in levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as blood fats, blood sugar profiles and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein – a marker of systemic inflammation.”
The findings are being presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Vienna and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Eli Lilly has recently said the UK price of Mounjaro will increase to be more in line with higher prices in Europe and the US. US President Donald Trump had previously complained about the high cost of drugs in the US, compared to other countries, and threatened the pharmaceutical industry if they didn’t act. The price to buy the jabs privately has more than doubled from £122 a month.
Weight loss jabs slow digestion and reduce appetite by mimicking hormones which regulate hunger and feelings of fullness. They must be provided alongside specialist diet and lifestyle support, which the NHS has limited capacity to provide.
Research shows users of GLP-1 injections lose muscle as well as fat. Without drastic changes to diet and activity levels, users tend to pile the fat back on if they stop taking them – but not the muscle mass.