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.

Eli Lilly's experimental pill worked as well as blockbuster drug Ozempic to lower weight and blood sugar in a trial of diabetes patients, and the company said it expects to seek regulatory approvals by the end of the year.

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