Lilly’s GLP-1 Pill Beats Older Novo Diabetes Drug in Head-to-Head Trial

Patients on Eli Lilly & Co.’s experimental diabetes pill lost more weight and had better blood sugar control than those on an older, approved rival from Novo Nordisk A/S in the first head-to-head trial of the two medicines.

The highest dose of Lilly’s pill — called orforglipron — led to a 1.9% drop in blood sugar levels and shaved roughly 18 pounds from patients’ frames, significantly more than those getting Novo’s Rybelsus. The initial findings from the Lilly-funded study came as the Indianapolis-based drugmaker released full data about orforglipron’s impact on obesity at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting.