Eli Lilly's new diabetes drug shows promise in phase 3 trials
Eli Lilly's new oral diabetes drug, orforglipron, just demonstrated superiority over dapagliflozin and oral semaglutide in head-to-head phase 3 trials.
The company shared results this week showing that orforglipron helped adults with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar and lose weight better than dapagliflozin and oral semaglutide, two current treatment options, in these trials.
How did orforglipron fare against the other 2 drugs?
In two phase 3 trials (ACHIEVE-2 and ACHIEVE-5), orforglipron dropped A1C levels by up to 1.7%—about double what dapagliflozin managed.
When combined with insulin glargine, it brought A1C down by as much as 2.1%.
People also saw meaningful weight loss after 40 weeks.
Side effects and future plans
Most side effects were mild or moderate stomach issues, which is pretty common for this type of drug.
Lilly plans to apply for approval to treat obesity by late 2025 and type 2 diabetes in 2026, which could mean a new, easier-to-take option for people who don't love injections.