U.S. pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) says that its new obesity pill helped patients maintain the majority of their weight loss after they switched from taking the company’s injection Zepbound.
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Eli Lilly’s pill, called Orforglipron, also helped patients keep weight off as they switched from taking rival Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) injection Wegovy. The results come from a late-stage clinical trial and are more good news for Eli Lilly’s weight-loss pill that is expected to receive regulatory approval in the U.S. in the first half of 2026.
In announcing the latest trial results, Eli Lilly also said that it has officially filed for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the daily weight-loss pill that is expected to be more popular with consumers than Zepbound, which is taken using a needle. The FDA has granted Orforglipron priority review status, which should expedite its approval timeline.
Patient Transitions
The positive trial data suggest that the weight-loss pill could be an effective treatment for people who are transitioning to Orforglipron from Zepbound and switching medications. Other studies have shown that people who stop Zepbound or Wegovy injections regain much of the weight they lost.
The latest Phase 3 trial followed more than 300 patients with obesity who previously took Wegovy or Zepbound for 72 weeks in a separate late-stage study. On average, patients who switched to Eli Lilly’s weight-loss pill from Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy only regained two pounds of the weight they initially lost. People who switched to the pill from Zepbound regained 11 pounds of the weight they had lost.
Is LLY Stock a Buy?
The stock of Eli Lilly has a consensus Strong Buy rating among 21 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 19 Buy and two Hold recommendations issued in the last three months. The average LLY price target of $1,135.32 implies 7.21% upside from current levels.
