AstraZeneca moves oral GLP-1 elecoglipron to phase 3 without releasing weight loss results
An oral GLP-1 from AstraZeneca cleared two phase 2 trials, but patients won't know how much weight people lost on it until June.
AstraZeneca announced on February 10 that its experimental oral GLP-1 pill, elecoglipron, met the main goals of two phase 2 trials and will move into phase 3 development this year. The company did not disclose how much weight participants lost, or by how much the drug lowered blood sugar, saying those figures will be presented at the American Diabetes Association conference in June [1].
The drug was tested in two studies. VISTA, which finished in November, compared elecoglipron with placebo over 36 weeks in 310 patients with obesity or overweight. SOLSTICE, which finished in December, assessed blood sugar control in 406 participants with type 2 diabetes, against placebo or against semaglutide, the ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Wegovy [1]. AstraZeneca said both trials hit their primary endpoints [1]. Elecoglipron was licensed from Eccogene in 2023 [1].
Asked during an earnings press conference whether elecoglipron held its own against competing drugs, CEO Pascal Soriot declined to give specifics. "The only thing I will say is that we have a very competitive profile," he told journalists [1]. He added: "[As] you would imagine, we will not move into phase 3 and unlock all this investment for monotherapy, combination, cardiovascular outcome trials — which you can imagine, is not inexpensive — if we didn't believe the product" [1].
AstraZeneca is not first in the oral obesity market. Novo Nordisk launched an oral version of Wegovy in December, the first oral GLP-1 approved for weight loss, according to the company's own reporting, and Eli Lilly is reportedly expecting a decision on its own GLP-1 pill, orforglipron, early in the second quarter [1].
AstraZeneca has other weight programs in the works. It said AZD6234, a long-acting amylin candidate, is due to report phase 2 data in the first half of 2026, and a phase 2 study combining AZD6234 with AZD9550, which acts on both GLP-1 and glucagon, is due to read out in the second half of the year [1]. In January the company paid $1.2 billion in upfront cash to CSPC Pharmaceuticals for ex-China rights to a once-monthly injectable weight management portfolio of eight programs, led by SYH2082, which is being readied for phase 1 trials [1]. Soriot said the company is working on products designed to improve compliance and the quality of weight loss. "[M]oving to monthly injection as opposed to weekly injection, but also products that will improve the quality of weight loss — more fat loss, less muscle loss," he said [1].
Why it matters for patients
For people weighing whether to start a GLP-1 medicine, the practical picture has not changed yet. Elecoglipron is still an investigational drug in phase 3, not an approved product, and AstraZeneca has not disclosed how much weight or blood sugar improvement it produced [1]. That means there is no way right now to compare it with semaglutide, tirzepatide or the newly launched oral Wegovy on the measure that matters most to patients — how well it works.
The SOLSTICE trial did include semaglutide as a comparator, but how elecoglipron performed against it has not been reported [1]. The size of the trials is also worth noting: 310 people in the obesity study and 406 in the diabetes study, smaller than the phase 3 programs typically used to support approval.
Pills are the main draw of this class for people who dislike injections, and competition in that space is heating up. Soriot's comments suggest AstraZeneca sees itself as a contender rather than a follower, but the claim of a "very competitive profile" is not supported by any published numbers yet [1].
What happens next
The weight loss and blood sugar results are scheduled to be presented in June 2026 at the American Diabetes Association conference [1]. AstraZeneca said phase 3 development will begin this year [1].
Separately, phase 2 data for AZD6234 are expected in the first half of 2026, and results from the AZD6234 plus AZD9550 combination are expected in the second half of the year [1]. Eli Lilly is reportedly expecting an FDA decision on orforglipron early in the second quarter of 2026, though that timing has not been confirmed by the agency [1].
Sources
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