Oct 15 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly ( LLY ) said on Wednesday

its experimental pill, orforglipron, helped reduce blood sugar

levels in two late-stage trials.

The oral drug is designed to mimic the appetite-suppressing

GLP-1 hormone targeted by the company's blockbuster injection

tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound.

In one of the studies, Lilly's pill helped lower A1C, a

measure of blood sugar over time, by up to 1.7% compared to 0.8%

with AstraZeneca's ( AZN ) drug dapagliflozin. The head-to-head

trial was conducted in adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately

controlled on metformin, a widely used to drug used to treat

high blood sugar levels.

In the other trial, orforglipron lowered A1C by an

additional 2.1% when taken with insulin glargine.