It's little secret that America has a weight problem. For decades, Americans have embraced and abandoned countless weight-loss strategies, including fad diets, that have proven ineffective long term.

But this one, for Lilly’s first diabetes and weight-loss pill based on the GLP-1 hormone, was particularly fraught. Days before, rival pharma giant Pfizer had announced it was abandoning its oral weight-loss drug after worrying side effects involving liver problems were reported in one participant in the trial.

A new weight-loss pill taken daily could compete with injections like Ozempic, research suggests. Patients, who all were obese and suffered from type 2 diabetes, took orforglipron for nine months as part of a trial, losing an average of 7.2kg (16 pounds).