Eli Lilly said clinical results of its GLP-1 in pill form showed safety and efficacy data similar to blockbuster injectable drugs.

The drug is still going through trials, but the medical company Lilly, behind it, is hopeful it can be rolled out soon. In recent years, people have turned to weight loss jabs instead to help them lose weight after they were approved for use by UK and US health bodies.

Diabetics given the pill called orforglipron lost 16 pounds, or 7.9% of their body weight, over a 40-week period.