In the first Phase 3 trial of its once-daily oral GLP-1 pill in people with obesity, drugmaker Eli Lilly said Thursday that it helped people lower their weight by an average of 12% after 72 weeks.

Eli Lilly's pill, orforglipron, is one step closer to becoming the first new, needle-free alternative in the booming market for weight loss and diabetes drugs.

“The results we got were as good as we can possibly achieve with an oral small molecule GLP-1," says Dr. Dan Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer. “The safety, tolerability, and efficacy were all in line with what we achieved with the injectable drug, yet now delivered in an easy-to-use, once-a-day pill.”