If approved, the pill is expected to be far easier to administer than current injectables — and far easier to manufacture.

Eli Lilly said its new weight-loss pill had cleared a late-stage clinical trial, a promising sign as the company continues to face off with Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk. Eli Lilly said in a news release that its orforglipron pill had passed a Phase 3 trial with “statistically significant efficacy results” and a safety profile consistent with injectable obesity drugs that already are on the market.

Shares of Eli Lilly jumped 16% Thursday morning after the pharmaceutical company released clinical trial results for its oral weight-loss drug that "demonstrated statistically significant efficacy results and a safety profile consistent with injectable GLP-1 medicines.