The new weight loss drug from LLY.US has been approved by the FDA, marking the entry of the weight loss drug market into the "oral administration era".

Eli Lilly's (LLY.US) stock price rose by over 5% on Wednesday after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the company's new weight loss pill. Lilly stated that this pill can be taken "at any time of day, without any dietary or liquid restrictions." Eli Lilly's drug orforglipron, branded as Foundayo, is designed to help overweight or obese adults lose weight. Lilly announced that the pill should be taken once a day and will begin shipping on April 6. Shortly after, the pill will be available through U.S. retail pharmacies and telemedicine providers. Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks stated, "As a convenient, once-daily, orally administered medication that delivers statistically significant weight loss results, this is a weight management solution designed for the real world." Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B have been engaged in a fierce battle for control of the lucrative weight loss drug market. Over the past two years, competition between the two companies has shifted from injections to pill form, as pills offer patients a lower barrier to entry. Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B's Rybelsus was the first oral semaglutide therapy to receive FDA approval. In December of last year, the FDA also approved Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B's Wegovy pill for weight loss. While clinical trial results show that injectable weight loss drugs are still the "gold standard" in terms of efficacy, both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B have shifted towards pill forms. The results of Eli Lilly's new Foundayo pill showed a weight loss of 11.1% in subjects, while the company's injectable Zepbound had an average weight loss of 20.2%. As for Novo Nordisk A/S Sponsored ADR Class B, the pill version of Wegovy resulted in subjects losing around 14% of their weight, while the injectable version of Wegovy had a weight loss result of 15%.