Eli Lilly’s new data reveals its oral diabetes medication Foundayo surpasses oral semaglutide in weight loss and blood sugar control, spurring a pre-market share rise amid competitive advances in GLP-1 therapies.
Eli Lilly shares edged higher in pre-market trading after the company unveiled new data on its oral diabetes drug Foundayo, also known as orforglipron, at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Milan. The company said the treatment delivered stronger weight loss and blood sugar control than oral semaglutide in an adjusted comparison, reinforcing a growing body of evidence behind its oral GLP-1 programme. According to Lilly, the shares rose after investors absorbed the latest results. Lilly said the analysis drew on data from its ACHIEVE-3 and PIONEER PLUS studies and adjusted for age, sex, starting weight and baseline A1C, the blood sugar measure used to track diabetes control.
In Lilly’s presentation, Foundayo 17.2 mg was associated with 1.5 percentage points more weight loss at 52 weeks than oral semaglutide 25 mg, and with an additional 0.3-point reduction in A1C. The company also said alternative statistical methods produced similar results, with the weight-loss advantage ranging from 1.5 to 2.4 points and the A1C benefit ranging from 0.3 to 0.6 points. In a separate company release, Lilly said Foundayo had shown superior A1C control and weight loss across pivotal type 2 diabetes trials, including a stronger performance in ACHIEVE-3 against oral semaglutide 14 mg.
The medicine’s appeal is not just in the numbers. Lilly says Foundayo is taken once a day and does not require fasting or strict water restrictions, a practical difference that may matter for patients who struggle with more complicated dosing instructions. The company has been positioning the drug as part of a broader push into cardiometabolic care, alongside its established tirzepatide-based products, as it looks to widen its presence in diabetes and obesity treatment.
The latest findings also come against a competitive backdrop. Novo Nordisk remains a major rival in the GLP-1 market, with semaglutide-based drugs already well established in both diabetes and weight management. Analysts and clinicians will still view head-to-head evidence as the clearest test of any drug’s relative merits, but Lilly’s newest data may help strengthen the case for an oral option that combines convenience with strong efficacy.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
