First Ozempic-style PILL helps dieters shed over 1st – and could be cheaper option than jabs

A DAILY weight loss pill that works like Ozempic has passed a full clinical trial for the first time.

Orforglipron is made by Lilly which manufactures the ‘King Kong’ of fat jabs, Mounjaro.

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A trial has found diabetic patients taking it without dieting lost an average of eight per cent of their body weight in 10 months versus 1.6 per cent without the pill.

This was equal to 16lbs (7.3kg) – or just over a stone each.

Experts hope the pill will be quicker and easier to take, have fewer side effects and eventually be cheaper than weight loss injections.

The drug, known medically as incretin, also lowered blood sugar, indicating it will work for type 2 diabetes.

It is a class of drug called a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which is the same as the famous injections Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro.

They work by imitating a hormone that makes you feel full, causing the body to release insulin and break down sugar in the blood.

At the same time it tricks the body into thinking you have eaten, squashing your appetite and preventing weight gain.

David Ricks, CEO of Lilly, said: “We are pleased to see that our latest medicine meets our expectations for safety and tolerability, glucose control and weight loss.

“As a convenient once-daily pill it may provide a new option and, if approved, could be readily manufactured and launched at scale for use by people around the world.”

The company said it could scale up production and roll out the pill “worldwide without supply constraints”.

Weight loss injections like Wegovy were blighted by supply shortages when their popularity boomed a couple of years ago.