Eli Lilly’s once‑daily oral weight‑loss pill could reach UK as early as 2026, trials show 12.4% average weight loss

Britain could be among the first countries to offer a once‑daily oral treatment for obesity if pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly secures regulatory approval, company executives said, after late‑stage trials showed an average weight loss of 12.4%.

Eli Lilly said the pill, orforglipron, targets the same glucagon‑like peptide‑1 (GLP‑1) receptors as widely used injectable medicines such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, suppressing appetite and increasing satiety. Patrik Jonsson, the head of the company, said he expects the drug could be available "as early as next year" if regulators approve it, a timetable that would put first availability in 2026.

The largest trial reported last month involved 3,127 adults who were obese or overweight with at least one weight‑related medical condition and did not have diabetes. Participants were followed for 72 weeks. Eli Lilly reported an average body‑weight reduction across the study population of 12.4% and has described the medicine as a potential "game‑changer" for people who prefer not to use injectable therapies.

Company executives said the tablet is easier to produce, transport and store than injections, can be taken at any time of day with or without food, and remains stable at room temperature. Those features, Eli Lilly said, may expand the pool of people willing to pursue pharmacological treatment for obesity.

Side effects reported in the trials were similar to those seen with injectable GLP‑1 drugs. About one in four participants experienced diarrhoea and about one in six reported nausea. The company also acknowledged that cases of pancreatitis have been observed among users in clinical testing.

"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, executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, said in a company statement. He added that orforglipron is intended to support "early intervention and long‑term disease management," and that Lilly plans to submit data for regulatory review by the end of 2025 and is prepared for a global launch.

Eli Lilly has not set a final price for orforglipron. Analysts quoted by the company have suggested the market for an oral GLP‑1 pill could be worth as much as $100 billion by 2030. Lilly said cost may be lower than injectable alternatives because of simpler manufacture and distribution, but it offered no concrete pricing details.

The company has also expanded discussions with pharmacists and private providers around pricing of its existing injectable treatment Mounjaro, after plans to raise that drug's list price prompted a market reaction. Under recently announced commercial arrangements, Lilly said the top dose of Mounjaro will be made available at a price of £247.50 under certain provider agreements, a figure the company said is almost £100 lower than an earlier list increase. Those arrangements took effect Sept. 1, 2025, and Lilly said it expects providers to pass on affordability measures to patients in varying ways.

The prospect of an effective oral GLP‑1 therapy comes as demand for weight‑loss medications has surged in recent years, with many health systems and private clinics navigating questions about access, cost and long‑term safety. Medical regulators in multiple jurisdictions will review trial data on efficacy and adverse events before any approval decisions.

Jonsson said longer‑term ambitions at Lilly include research toward a "once‑and‑done" obesity treatment that would eliminate the need for ongoing dosing, but he acknowledged that such a goal remains years away. In the nearer term, public‑health officials and clinicians will weigh the benefits of broader access to oral pharmacotherapy against the observed gastrointestinal side effects and the need for post‑market safety monitoring.

Eli Lilly said it is preparing regulatory submissions and additional data packages for agencies in several regions. Regulators typically assess trial size and duration, magnitude of benefit, safety signals such as pancreatitis, and the appropriateness of the drug for specific patient populations before granting approval and specifying conditions of use.