The drug is still going through trials, but the medical company Lilly, behind it, is hopeful it can be rolled out soon. In recent years, people have turned to weight loss jabs instead to help them lose weight after they were approved for use by UK and US health bodies.

Eli Lilly said clinical results of its GLP-1 in pill form showed safety and efficacy data similar to blockbuster injectable drugs.

But this one, for Lilly’s first diabetes and weight-loss pill based on the GLP-1 hormone, was particularly fraught. Days before, rival pharma giant Pfizer had announced it was abandoning its oral weight-loss drug after worrying side effects involving liver problems were reported in one participant in the trial.