The Science Behind the Quest for a Non-Peptide Oral Weight Loss Drug (opens in new tab)

Not only does it have a tongue-twisting name, “orforglipron” has a complex molecular structure that made its synthesis very challenging. A massive effort by chemists at the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical company finally resulted in a viable synthesis, but why this massive effort? Because the payoff also promises to be massive! Orforglipron is the first “small molecule” to act as an oral “GLP-1 agonist". Its discovery takes us on a long and winding journey. The term “GLP-1 agonist” wriggled its way ...