Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly shared updated findings Thursday from a clinical comparison study involving their experimental weight-loss medication orforglipron and competitor Novo Nordisk’s oral diabetes drug in diabetic patients, providing more comprehensive information about adverse reactions.
The study revealed that approximately 58% of participants taking the higher 36-milligram dosage of Lilly’s experimental medication experienced mild-to-moderate adverse reactions, including nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. In contrast, 45% of patients receiving the 14-milligram dose of oral semaglutide reported similar issues.
Novo Nordisk markets oral semaglutide as Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes patients to manage blood sugar levels. The trial showed that roughly 10% of participants receiving the 36-milligram orforglipron dosage stopped their treatment due to adverse effects, while only 5% of those taking 14-milligram Rybelsus discontinued therapy for the same reason.
Participants taking orforglipron also experienced an average increase in heart rate during the study period.
Earlier results released in September demonstrated that the 36-milligram orforglipron dosage reduced average blood glucose levels by 2.2%, outperforming the 1.4% reduction seen with 14-milligram Rybelsus.
Weight loss results showed participants on 36-milligram orforglipron shed an average of 8.9 kilograms (19.7 pounds), representing 9.2% of their body weight. Those taking 14-milligram Rybelsus lost an average of 5 kilograms (11 pounds), or 5.3% of their weight.
“We think that the totality of the profile here is a trade-off that patients will be very happy to make because they are getting better glycemic control and better weight loss as well as no restriction on dosing with food and water,” said Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health.
Both Lilly’s orforglipron and Rybelsus work by mimicking the appetite-suppressing GLP-1 hormone, the same target as Lilly’s successful injectable medication tirzepatide, which is marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound.
