Archive · 11 Aug 2026
New Oral GLP-1 Pill Helps Adults Lose 12.1% Weight
Scientists have tested a new weight-loss pill called aleniglipron.
The pill works like a natural helper in our bodies that makes us feel full after eating.
It is special because it can be swallowed as a pill, while many similar medicines are given as shots.
In the study, 230 grown-ups with overweight took the pill every day for about nine months.
People on the highest dose lost, on average, about 12 percent of their starting body weight.
People who took a sugar pill with no medicine lost almost no weight at all.
Some people felt sick to their stomach, but these feelings were usually mild and went away over time.
The medicine is still new, so scientists need to do bigger and longer tests before it can be given to everyone.
A Phase 2b trial of the experimental oral drug aleniglipron included 230 adults with overweight or obesity treated at 38 medical centres in the US for 36 weeks.
Participants taking the highest 120 mg daily dose lost an average of 12.1% of their body weight, while the placebo group lost only 0.5%.
Lower doses of 45 mg and 90 mg produced average weight losses of 9% and 10.7%, respectively.
Aleniglipron is a small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist taken once daily as a pill, unlike injectable GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide.
Gastrointestinal side effects were generally mild to moderate, 10.4% of participants stopped treatment, and larger Phase 3 trials are still needed.
- Who
- Adults with overweight or obesity (average age about 50) at 38 US medical centres, with researchers including study co-author Robert Kushner.
- What
- The experimental once-daily oral GLP-1 pill aleniglipron produced dose-dependent weight loss of up to 12.1% over 36 weeks.
- When
- The Phase 2b trial treated participants for 36 weeks, and the results were published in Nature Medicine.
- Where
- The United States, across 38 medical centres.
- Why
- To evaluate whether an oral small-molecule GLP-1 medicine can offer an effective, injection-free option for treating overweight and obesity.
- Drug
- Aleniglipron (experimental oral GLP-1 receptor agonist)
- Trial phase
- Phase 2b
- Participants
- 230 adults with overweight or obesity, average age about 50
- Treatment duration
- 36 weeks
- Average weight loss (120 mg)
- 12.1%
- Average weight loss (placebo)
- 0.5%
- Side effects
- Gastrointestinal symptoms, generally mild to moderate; 10.4% stopped treatment
- Publication
- Nature Medicine