Daily pill to help keep weight off after stopping obesity jabs

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Daily pill to help keep weight off after stopping obesity jabs6 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleMichelle RobertsDigital health editorGetty ImagesA new daily pill could help people coming off weight-loss jabs remain slim, latest research says. The drug is already available in the US and could soon launch in the UK. Trials found that patients given the tablet, called orforglipron, every day for a year avoided regaining much of the weight they had lost - a known risk when coming off GLP-1 injections.

The study in the journal Nature Medicine was funded by the manufacturer Eli Lilly, which also makes the weight loss jab Mounjaro. More research is needed to find out how long someone might need to stay on treatment - it might even be life-long, say experts. Swallowing a pill might be more attractive to patients than having to inject themselves, says Dr Marie Spreckley, an expert in weight management research at the UK's University of Cambridge who was not involved in the study.

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But she adds: "We still do not know how durable these effects will be over longer periods of time. "This study reinforces the growing recognition that obesity is a chronic, relapsing disease that often requires ongoing treatment and support. "Orforglipron works similarly to obesity jabs, by mimicking a natural hormone that reduces appetite and makes you feel more full for longer.

In the US, where it is available, the price is cheaper than current injectables, at around $149 per month for the lowest dose, compared with over $1,000 a month for some GLP-1 injections (although US President Donald Trump has announced deals that aim to lower the cost of popular weight-loss drugs). It is not known how much orforglipron would cost in the UK, as it has not yet been released to the market. Similarly, rival manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, has an oral version of its injectable GLP-1 drug, Wegovy, which has been approved in the US, with a UK decision pending.

The study included 376 participants in the US who had already been on GLP-1 jabs - tirzepatide (Mounjaro) or semaglutide (Wegovy) - for more than a year and had successfully lost weight. They were asked to stop the jabs and were given a pill containing either orforglipron or no drug (a placebo or dummy) to take every day for a year. They were not told which they were taking.

At the end of the study, the participants who took orforglipron kept more than 70% of their earlier weight loss off, while the placebo group kept around 38-50% off. Side effects on the drug were common but mostly mild and included nausea, constipation or diarrhoea. Dr Simon Cork from Anglia Ruskin University says it is a "really important study" that addresses a key limitation with injectable, GLP-1 based weight loss medications – that patients experience significant weight rebound after stopping them.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.