Eli Lilly’s experimental once-daily oral drug, orforglipron, demonstrated superior efficacy over Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide in a Phase 3 head-to-head trial.
The ACHIEVE-3 study results, published in The Lancet, evaluated adults with type 2 diabetes over a 52-week period.
Orforglipron reduced blood sugar levels (A1C) by 2.2%, compared to a 1.4% reduction for semaglutide.
Lilly’s drug also achieved a 9.2% reduction in body weight, while the Novo Nordisk treatment showed a 5.3% loss.
Lilly has submitted the drug for regulatory approval in more than 40 countries.
The company expects to file for U.S. approval for type 2 diabetes in late 2026.