An investigational GLP-1 pill from Eli Lilly helped diabetes patients lower their blood sugar and weight more than an oral version of Ozempic sold by Novo Nordisk, results that support the efficacy of Lilly’s medicine as the company prepares to submit it to regulators.

In a yearlong Phase 3 trial, the highest dose of Lily’s pill, orforglipron, lowered a measure of blood sugar called A1C by 1.9 percentage points, while the highest dose of Novo’s drug, marketed as Rybelsus, lowered A1C by 1.5 percentage points, when analyzing all patients regardless of discontinuations. The highest doses of Lilly’s and Novo’s pills also led to 8.2% and 5.3% weight loss, respectively.

The trial was randomized but not blinded. It would have been difficult to conduct a blind trial, since participants treated

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