A big win for Foundayo: GLP-1 pill orforglipron helps patients lose weight, protect their hearts
Orforglipron, a GLP-1 pill being sold by Eli Lilly and Company under the brand name Foundayo, is both safe and effective in obese or overweight patients with type 2 diabetes. That was the primary takeaway from new data presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Milan, Italy, and simultaneously published in The Lancet.[1]
In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved orforglipron as a once-daily treatment for weight-related medical problems in obese and overweight adults. When the FDA requested additional data on the drug’s effect on cardiovascular outcomes, Lilly shared early positive results from ACHIEVE-4, a randomized trial of more than 2,700 patients who received either orforglipron or insulin glargine. Now, the full results of that analysis have been shared with the public for the first time.
Overall, the researchers behind ACHIEVE-4 found that orforglipron was associated was a 16% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) than insulin glargine. A MACE was defined as either cardiovascular death, a heart attack, a stroke or a hospitalization for unstable chest pain. This finding met the prespecified criteria to be seen as noninferior to insulin glargine.
In addition, the group added, orforglipron was associated with a 23% lower risk of patients experiencing a slightly different composite outcome that only looked at cardiovascular death, heart attacks and stroke.
Another key finding from ACHIEVE-4 was that patients given orforglipron consistently reported substantial weight loss in addition to reductions in waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. These are all associated with long-term improvements in a person’s cardiovascular health.
“For people living with type 2 diabetes, protecting the heart is as important as controlling blood sugar,” first author Klara Klein, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, said in a statement. “ACHIEVE-4 reaffirmed the safety of orforglipron and demonstrated an association with a lower risk of major cardiovascular events and death. These results, paired with the simple administration of a once-daily pill, taken without fasting or water restrictions, could make orforglipron a compelling potential option across the globe.”
Click here to read the full analysis.
Lilly is also the company behind tirzepatide, a popular GLP-1 medication it sells under the brand names Zepbound and Mounjaro.
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.