Eli Lilly shares traded higher on Friday after the company unveiled new late-stage data showing that its oral GLP-1 drug Foundayo (orforglipron) helped older adults shed significant weight. The results were presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, and they come from updated analyses of the Phase 3 ATTAIN studies.
The drugmaker reported that patients aged 65 and older who took the highest dose of Foundayo achieved an average weight reduction of up to 13% in the ATTAIN-1 trial, which included adults with obesity or overweight but without Type 2 diabetes. In the ATTAIN-2 study, which focused on patients with obesity or overweight and Type 2 diabetes, older participants saw an average weight loss of up to 12.2% at the highest dose. Across all tested doses, the results were statistically significant compared with placebo.
What makes Foundayo stand out is its convenience. It's the only approved GLP-1 pill that doesn't require patients to plan around meals or water intake. No injections, no timing restrictions—just a once-daily pill. That could be a big deal for older adults, who often juggle multiple medications and may struggle with complex dosing schedules.
Rachel Batterham, Lilly's senior vice president for Cardiometabolic Health, highlighted this in a press release: "The fact that these results were achieved with a once-daily pill that patients can take at any time, without planning around meals or dealing with injections, matters in this age group."
On the safety front, the most common side effects were gastrointestinal issues—nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and vomiting—which are typical for GLP-1 drugs. Lilly pooled safety data from both ATTAIN studies and said serious adverse event rates were generally in line with the broader trial population.
Foundayo already has FDA approval for chronic weight management, to be used alongside diet and exercise. The company is also studying it for diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and osteoarthritis-related pain.
Investors seemed pleased with the data. Eli Lilly shares were up 1.86% to $1,061.01 at last check on Friday.
