A healthy routine has a lot of components. Diets, exercise, lifestyle, supplements and medication all play a role. It’s essential to speak to your doctor to make a routine that fits your needs and goals. Even though we make a supplement, we are not against medication. It can play a large, helpful role in a person’s routine! Balancing all the components of a healthy routine can be difficult, but when you find what works for you, you can feel great and live a healthier life.

A new once-daily weight loss pill made by Eli Lilly may help people with blood sugar concerns manage their weight. A phase 3 trial found that taking the medication led to a higher reduction in body weight than taking a placebo. Both groups followed lifestyle changes.  

“Orforlipron, is a new GLP-1 medication for obesity treatment that, in this trial, provided 10.5 percent total body weight loss in patient with obesity and [blood sugar concerns]. This is double digit weight loss in a population of individuals that also had [blood sugar concerns] which we know makes it more difficult for them to lose weight,” said study author and obesity medicine specialist Deborah Horn of Univ. of Texas.

Unlike other GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, orforlipron is a pill. It isn’t injected, and it doesn’t require refrigeration. That makes it easier for many people to take.

“Orforglipron becomes an interesting alternative to injectables because it removes barriers to care: No need for injections, no need for cold storage for either the manufacturer, the pharmacy or the patient. As a small molecule, it doesn’t require special instructions around food or fasting or other medications, so it really provides improved overall convenience in addition to having all the incredible benefits of a GLP-1,” said Prof. Horn.

This drug has been showing promise for some time. But other studies did not include people with blood sugar concerns. This new study exclusively used people with blood sugar concerns who were overweight or obese. There were 1,613 people in the trial that lasted for 72 weeks. The average age was 57.

As stated, there was a placebo group. The people receiving orforglipron got six, 12 or 36 milligrams. As you would expect, the higher the dose, the more weight a person lost, on average.

No matter what dose a person got, everyone taking orforglipron saw improvements in their blood sugar health. They also saw improvements in their blood pressure, inflammation and heart health indicators.

Orforglipron is not on the market yet. It is supposed to be out next year. It won’t be suitable for everyone. If you have already ruled out GLP-1 medications for you, it probably won’t be a good fit. However, it might be worth discussing it with your doctor to see if it could benefit you.

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