Another win for Lilly: Oral GLP-1 drug linked to significant weight loss, other cardiovascular benefits
Eli Lilly and Company has announced new data linking orforglipron, the company’s oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, with significant weight loss and multiple additional cardiovascular benefits.
The ATTAIN-1 trial included data from more than 3,000 adults obese or overweight patients with a weight-related medical problem, but no diabetes. After receiving daily doses over the course of 72 weeks, orforglipron was associated with an average weight loss of 12.4%, or 27.3 pounds. Patients treated with a placebo, meanwhile, experienced an average weight loss of 0.9% or 2.22 pounds.
The full results are scheduled to be presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting 2025 in September and simultaneously published in a peer-reviewed medical journal. Additional data on this drug are expected to be shared in the months ahead.
“Obesity is one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time, driving global chronic disease burden and impacting more than one billion people worldwide,” Kenneth Custer, PhD, executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, said in a statement. “With orforglipron, we're working to transform obesity care by introducing a potential once-daily oral therapy that could support early intervention and long-term disease management, while offering a convenient alternative to injectable treatments. With these positive data in hand, we are now planning to submit orforglipron for regulatory review by year-end and are prepared for a global launch to address this urgent public health need.”
Treatment with orforglipron—whether 6-mg, 12-mg or 36-mg doses—was also linked to improvements in non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. As Lilly pointed out in its statement, these are all known cardiovascular risk factors.
Lily hopes to seek regulatory approvals for orforglipron by the end of 2025.
More positive data for weight loss medications
These early clinical trial results represent just the latest round of encouraging data on weight loss drugs that can also improve a patient’s heart health. Tirzepatide and semaglutide, for example, are two popular diabetes drugs being used more and more for weight loss and other conditions.
Tirzepatide is a popular dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist sold by Lilly under the brand names Zepbound and Mounjaro. It has previously been linked to improved outcomes in patients with sleep apnea and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Semaglutide, meanwhile, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist sold by Novo Nordisk under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic. It has been associated with a long list of health benefits, including several associated with improvements in cardiovascular symptoms in patients with and without diabetes.
And at ACC.25, the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology, the oral version of semaglutide was associated with significant cardiovascular benefits for patients with type 2 diabetes, highlighting the potential of these alternative treatments that can provide relief for patients uncomfortable with injections.
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.