Dec 18 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) oral pill,

orforglipron, helped maintain weight loss in patients switching

from injectable versions of GLP-1 drugs, the company said on

Thursday, in a boost to deliver a more convenient obesity

treatment option.

An oral weight-loss pill would help Lilly further widen its

lead over Novo Nordisk.

Both Lilly and Novo are awaiting U.S. regulatory approvals

for their pills, with a decision on Novo's oral Wegovy expected

later this year and on Lilly's orforglipron early next year.

In the late-stage trial, patients who took orforglipron for

52 weeks, after an initial treatment period of 72 weeks with

Wegovy or Zepbound, showed superior weight maintenance compared

to placebo, Lilly said.

Patients who switched from Wegovy maintained their

previously achieved weight loss with an average difference of

0.9 kilograms (kg), while those who switched from Zepbound

maintained it with an average difference of 5 kg.

The most commonly reported side effects were

mild-to-moderate and gastrointestinal, consistent with previous

studies on orforglipron.

Lilly's pill helped patients lose 12.4% of their body weight

in a late-stage study. In a separate trial, Novo's pill led to a

16.6% reduction in weight.

Lilly was granted a voucher for its pill in November as part

of a deal with the Trump administration to lower the prices of

its weight-loss medicines for government programs and

cash-paying patients.

According to a Reuters report, leaders at the U.S. Food and

Drug Administration have pressed internally for reviewers to

speed up their evaluation of orforglipron, after the company

pushed for a faster timeline.

The agency could decide on Lilly's pill as early as March 28

if the new timeline is adopted.

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil

D'Silva)