*

Weight-loss with Lilly's GLP-1 pill plateaus for most

patients

*

Orforglipron improves cardiovascular risk factors, reduces

inflammation marker by 47.7%

*

High-dose orforglipron group sees 10.3% dropout due to

side

effects

By Deena Beasley

Sept 16 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) experimental

GLP-1 pill helped people lose about 12% of their body weight,

with weight loss plateauing for most patients in the 72-week

trial, according to full study results presented at a medical

meeting on Tuesday.

Lilly had announced in August that the Phase 3 study of the

daily pill, orforglipron, met its main goals, but the weight

loss was less robust than previous trial results for Novo

Nordisk's weekly injectable GLP-1 drug Wegovy.

That news sent Lilly's shares down 14%. Year-to-date, the

company's shares have fallen about 1%.

Results from a late-stage study of the drug orforglipron

were presented at a European medical meeting and published in

the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial enrolled over

3,000 non-diabetic participants who were obese or overweight

with a weight-related health problem.

Lilly said orforglipron showed clinically meaningful

improvements across key cardiovascular risk factors, including

cholesterol levels and blood pressure. It said the highest dose

of the drug reduced a key marker of inflammation by 47.7%.

The most commonly reported side effects were

mild-to-moderate and gastrointestinal. The rate of nausea for

high-dose patients was 33.7%, compared with 10.4% for placebo

patients.

In the high-dose orforglipron group, 10.3% of patients

dropped out of the trial due to side effects, compared with 2.6%

of placebo patients.

Lilly said liver safety was thoroughly evaluated and

concluded that there was no concerning pattern of liver issues

among patients taking the drug. High liver enzyme levels were

reported in seven orforglipron patients, but alternative causes

were identified, researchers said.

During the 72-week trial, three deaths were reported: one

low-dose orforglipron patient, one mid-dose patient and one

placebo patient.

Five cases of mild pancreatitis occurred in orforglipron

patients. No cases of medullary thyroid cancer were reported.

An increase in the mean pulse rate of 4.3 to 5.3 beats per

minute occurred in the orforglipron groups, compared with an

increase of 0.8 beat per minute in the placebo group, which

researchers said was consistent with findings observed with

injected GLP-1 drugs.

In a previous 36-week Phase 2 trial, orforglipron was shown

to reduce body weight by nearly 15% without an apparent plateau.

Researchers said that despite the recent study's 72-week

duration, weight reduction was not greater, which could be due

to differences in trial design, including more geographic

diversity and a higher percentage of men.