Orforglipron: Ema recommends approval for new slimming pill

Packet of Foundayo with active ingredient Orforglipron: swallowing instead of squirting

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2.5 billion people worldwide are considered obese, the risk of serious diseases such as heart attacks, cancer or diabetes is increased. For several years, novel drugs have been available that can help with weight loss: so-called GLP-1 agonists. The remedy Ozempic, which belongs in this category, had triggered worldwide hype. (Read more here.)

The European Medicines Agency has now come out in favour of approving another medicine from this class of medicines. The drug, which is already available in the USA under the name Foundayo, is based on the active ingredient Orforglipron and is taken once a day as a tablet. In contrast to swallowing syringes, it is not injected, but swallowed. In studies, subjects with the drug lost between five and eleven percent of their body weight.

According to the Ema recommendation, the drug from the drug company Eli Lilly is intended for the treatment of people with obesity or obesity as well as for the treatment of type 2 diabetes – as a supplement to a healthy diet and sport. In the case of obesity, doctors can prescribe the drug from a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or from a BMI of 27, if there are weight-related diseases. As with slimming syringes, the dose is gradually increased with the tablets.

When the new abnehmpille will be available in Germany, is not yet known. The EU Commission has yet to approve the approval, but this is considered a formality.

Like other GLP-1 agonists, Orforglipron is a prescription. The health insurance companies usually do not cover the costs. How expensive the preparation will be in this country is not yet known. For comparable drugs, users pay a few hundred euros a month, depending on the dosage.

Orforglipron mimics the action of a natural hormone involved in regulating appetite and blood sugar levels. People who take the active ingredient are satisfied longer. In addition, the drug stimulates the pancreas to release more insulin at high blood sugar levels, according to a message from the Ema on Friday.

Initially, there were GLP-1 agonists for weight reduction mainly in the form of so-called weight loss syringes, tablets have also been available for some time. In Germany, the abnehmpille Wegovy is already on the market, which contains the same active ingredient as the weight-loss syringe of the same name.

Unlike the active ingredient in previous weight loss pills, orforglipron is a small, non-peptidic molecule that has a good bioavailability – i.e. can be easily absorbed by the body. This allows Orforglipron to be taken at any time of the day – with or without food. (For the abnehmpille Wegovy certain requirements apply when taking, read more here.)

The possible side effects of orforglipron are comparable to those of slimming syringes and other slimming tablets and mainly affect the gastrointestinal tract. According to Ema, subjects complained most often about nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The complaints therefore occurred more often when the dose was increased, and often decreased over time.

Those who take weight loss medication often lose muscle mass unintentionally. Here you read how proper nutrition can counteract muscle wasting.