Lilly (LLY.US) oral weight-loss drug test results in an 11.2% reduction in weight. Doctor: May reshape the landscape of obesity treatment.

At the European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference, doctors revealed the results of the large clinical trial of Eli Lilly's weight loss drug Orforglipron tablets - the drug achieved a significant weight loss of 11.2% in obese adult patients and had side effects comparable to current injectable products. Eli Lilly plans to announce the full data of the main obesity trial of the drug during the conference, and simultaneously publish it in the New England Journal of Medicine. Although in another study, Orforglipron's weight loss effect was slightly inferior to Eli Lilly's own injectable drug Zepbound and Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B's Wegovy, doctors emphasized that its oral form would greatly expand treatment accessibility - compared to injectables, tablets are easier to produce, more convenient to use, and may ultimately have a price advantage. One of the lead authors of the study, Dr. Sean Walton, medical director of the Toronto Walton Medical Clinic, stated, "This changes the way obesity is treated fundamentally, and we can finally offer services to more patients in urgent need." Currently, the oralization of weight loss injections is the core competitive direction in the obesity market, with industry research from Bloomberg predicting the field to reach annual sales of billions of dollars by 2030. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B are competing for leadership in this area. There are key differences between the two companies in terms of drug characteristics: Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B's drug has the same ingredients as the glucagon-like peptide in injectables, with more complex production and more restrictions (such as dietary time requirements); while Eli Lilly's Orforglipron belongs to the pharmaceutical industry's "small molecule drugs", which are more efficiently produced and have no dietary restrictions. Although Eli Lilly's oral drug had previously struggled to meet market expectations, leading to some analysts lowering sales forecasts, subsequent research data on patients with diabetes and obesity has reinvigorated confidence. Eli Lilly disclosed that the main obesity trial also showed that the drug improved patient blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and about 7% of participants in the highest dose group withdrew from the trial due to gastrointestinal side effects. It's worth noting that a factor that may affect the results is that over 35% of participants were male, and the weight loss effect of the new generation of weight loss drugs for men is usually weaker than that for women. After reviewing the data, Clinical Associate Professor Stephen Lawrence from the University of Warwick believes that a weight loss exceeding 10% is enough to produce significant clinical effects and that the study included a diverse group of patients, reflecting real-world medication scenarios. He emphasized, "The key is not how much weight is lost, but how easy this form is to obtain, and the ease of use of the oral formulation is equally important." Eli Lilly plans to submit regulatory approval applications by the end of the year and has applied to the FDA for expedited review. If approved, the drug is expected to be on the market by 2024. The company has already stockpiled a large amount of inventory to meet demand. CEO Dave Ricks said, "We are in communication with the FDA and health authorities, seeking to expedite the review process." Although Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B may have launched the oral version of Wegovy slightly earlier, its research progress was slowed down due to insufficient production capacity. In addition, Eli Lilly is also conducting comparative studies for type 2 diabetes patients to evaluate the effectiveness differences between its drug and the low-dose oral glucagon-like peptide drug Rybelsus.