Encouraging trial results for AstraZeneca's new weight-loss pill

edited by Andrew Zinin

Andrew Zinin

Lead Editor

Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process
Editors' notes

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

peer-reviewed publication

reputable news agency

proofread

The GIST Add as preferred source

A new pill developed by the British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca appears to help people lose a similar amount of weight as other oral GLP-1 drugs, trial results showed Monday.

If confirmed by further research, the pill could mark AstraZeneca's entrance into the massively lucrative weight-loss drug market currently dominated by Denmark's Novo Nordisk and American giant Eli Lilly.

The astronomical popularity of the appetite-suppressing injectable drugs called GLP-1 agonists has kicked off a race to produce tablet versions that are easier to take.

AstraZeneca's new pill, called elecoglipron, resulted in weight loss "comparable to that reported for other oral" GLP-1 drugs, according to phase 2 trial results published in the Lancet medical journal.

Side effects recorded during the randomized trial, which had 310 participants, also were similar to those seen for other GLP-1 pills, with nausea being the most common.

For overweight or obese adults without diabetes, the pill resulted in "average weight reductions of up to 10.5% at 26 weeks and 11.8% at 36 weeks in the highest-dose group," said Marie Spreckley of the University of Cambridge.

But the weight management researcher—who was not involved in the study—emphasized the phase 2 trial was not mainly designed to compare the pill with other anti-obesity drugs.

"Larger and longer phase 3 trials will therefore be needed to confirm the durability of these effects, establish longer-term safety and tolerability, and determine its place within the growing range of obesity and diabetes treatments," she explained.

AstraZeneca will face stiff competition—Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have already developed pill versions of their hugely successful drugs.

The oral form of Eli Lilly's popular Mounjaro GLP-1 drug was approved in April in the United States, where it is sold under the brand name Foundayo.

The pill version of Novo Nordisk's blockbuster drug Wegovy is already available in the U.S.—and was given the green light by European Union health authorities last month.

Journal information: The Lancet

Key medical concepts

ObesityGlucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor AgonistsSemaglutideTirzepatide

Clinical categories

Weight managementEndocrinologyClinical pharmacology Who's behind this story?

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

© 2026 AFP

Citation: Encouraging trial results for AstraZeneca's new weight-loss pill (2026, June 9) retrieved 9 June 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-trial-results-astrazeneca-weight-loss.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.