This content originally appeared on diaTribe. Republished with permission.

By April Hopcroft

Latest data on the medication orforglipron – which is in development but not yet approved – shows encouraging results for each A1C and weight reduction. Based on these findings, orforglipron outperforms Trulicity and holds promise as one other oral option for type 2 diabetes. 

On the recent European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) conference in Hamburg, researchers presented data on a possible addition to the GLP-1 receptor agonist drug class (which incorporates Rybelsus and Trulicity).

GLP-1s and incretin-based therapies proceed to see tremendous innovation. The newest data presented at EASD 2023 highlighted the potential of a brand new oral GLP-1 medication, orforglipron, to enhance A1C and reduce body weight in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Kieran Mather, a professor on the Indiana University School of Medicine, presented results from a 26-week trial that compared five doses of orforglipron (3 mg, 12 mg, 24 mg, 36 mg, and 45 mg) with Trulicity (dulaglutide) and a placebo. At first of the trial, participants were around 59 years old with a mean A1C of 8.1%, BMI of 35, and had lived with type 2 diabetes for roughly seven years.

What were the important thing findings?

After 26 weeks, orforglipron led to promising reductions in A1C and body weight including:

• A1C fell by about 2% in participants on higher doses of orforglipron (all doses except 3 mg). Meanwhile, Trulicity and three mg of orforglipron led to A1C reductions of around 1%.
• Participants on higher doses of orforglipron lost as much as 22 kilos. Weight reduction didn’t appear to plateau by the top of the study, suggesting that orforglipron may result in much more weight reduction over an extended time period.

The overwhelming majority of participants on orforglipron achieved an A1C of lower than 7%. Roughly 90% of participants on orforglipron (24 mg, 36 mg, and 45 mg) were in a position to lower their A1C to below 7%. Roughly 80% of participants on the identical doses achieved an A1C of 6.5% or less.

As well as, about one-third of those on the 36 and 45 mg doses reached an A1C of 5.7% or below, indicating that orforglipron shows potential to normalize blood sugar in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

About 80% of participants on higher doses of orforglipron had at the very least 5% weight reduction – the minimum amount needed to attain improvements in health. Meanwhile, nearly half of those on higher doses achieved at the very least 10% weight reduction, and about one-quarter experienced at the very least 15% weight reduction.

What about safety and tolerability?

As with other GLP-1 medications, probably the most commonly reported hostile effects of orforglipron were gastrointestinal (nausea and vomiting). These hostile events tended to be mild to moderate in severity.

Mather said that unintended effects often occurred early within the trial and when the doses were increased. Most hostile reactions resolved in about 4-8 weeks. Looking ahead, Mather said he expects higher tolerability with a unique dosing schedule.

There was no severe hypoglycemia reported, and clinically significant hypoglycemia was low across the treatment groups.

What do the outcomes mean for individuals with type 2 diabetes?

These findings show that orforglipron has the potential to grow to be one other oral option for managing type 2 diabetes. Currently, Rybelsus (semaglutide) is the one oral GLP-1 approved for type 2 diabetes. Several other oral GLP-1s are in development:

• Novo Nordisk’s OASIS 1 trial results of oral semaglutide (at the next dose of fifty mg for obesity, versus oral semaglutide for diabetes at 7 or 14 mg) showed A1C reductions of as much as 2.2% in type 2 diabetes. Oral semaglutide at that dose also led to remarkable weight reduction of over 17% in individuals with obesity.
• Pfizer’s danuglipron led to dose-dependent reductions in A1C of as much as 1.2% and weight reduction of as much as 9 kilos in those with type 2 diabetes.

An enormous good thing about oral GLP-1s like orforglipron is their potential to eliminate the necessity for injections. Because of this, individuals with diabetes could also be higher in a position to achieve their treatment and health goals.

Learn more about GLP-1 receptor agonists for diabetes here: