The market for diabetes and weight-loss medication is growing rapidly.
According to Reuters, on February 26, 2026, Eli Lilly released the results of a study in which the company’s new pill, orforglipron, was tested directly against Novo Nordisk’s Rybelsus.
Both medications work by mimicking the hormone GLP-1, which suppresses appetite and lowers blood sugar.
Rybelsus is already approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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Greater weight loss
The study shows that patients who received 36 milligrams of orforglipron experienced an average reduction in blood sugar of 2.2 percent.
For patients taking 14 milligrams of Rybelsus, the reduction was 1.4 percent, Reuters reports.
Weight loss was also greater with orforglipron. Participants lost an average of 8.9 kilograms, equivalent to 9.2 percent of their body weight.
Patients on Rybelsus lost an average of 5 kilograms, or 5.3 percent.
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More side effects
According to Reuters, 58 percent of patients on orforglipron experienced mild to moderate side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
The same applied to 45 percent of patients on Rybelsus.
Around 10 percent of patients on orforglipron discontinued treatment due to side effects. In the Rybelsus group, the figure was 5 percent.
An average increase in heart rate was also recorded among patients who received Lilly’s pill.
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According to Reuters, Kenneth Custer of Eli Lilly said: "We think that the totality of the profile here is a trade-off that patients will be very happy to make because they are getting better glycemic control and better weight loss as well as no restriction on dosing with food and water".
Sources: Reuters.
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