Eli Lilly’s investigational pill orforglipron achieved greater blood-sugar reduction than AstraZeneca’s Farxiga in adults with type 2 diabetes who were not meeting treatment goals on metformin.

In the 40-week ACHIEVE-2 Phase 3 trial, participants taking orforglipron saw A1C levels fall by up to 1.7 percentage points, compared with 0.8 points for Farxiga. Weight loss and improvements in cardiovascular risk factors were also observed, reinforcing Lilly’s goal of positioning orforglipron as a foundational oral treatment for diabetes.

A companion study, ACHIEVE-5, showed similarly strong results when the drug was combined with insulin glargine, reducing A1C by up to 2.1 points versus 0.8 with placebo. Safety outcomes were consistent with prior trials, with mostly mild gastrointestinal side effects.

Lilly plans to seek global approval for type 2 diabetes in 2026 and file for obesity later this year.

Sources

Eli Lilly Press Release
Fierce Biotech

Previous Orforglipron Coverage

Lilly Advances Orforglipron Toward Approval After Third Phase 3 Win
Lilly’s Oral GLP-1 Falls Short of Expectations, Boosting Novo Nordisk
Lilly’s Oral GLP-1 Pill Shows Strong Phase 3 Results as Novo Submits Rival for FDA Approval
Lilly’s Oral GLP-1, Orforglipron, Shows Strong Results in Obesity and Diabetes Trials