New weight-loss drugs could be launched next year. One of them is being dubbed "Ozempic 2.0". It is a pill version of the widely-used Ozempic. The company developing it said its clinical trials showed that it "lowered weight by an average of 10.5 per cent". A rival company also has a new pill. Its spokesman said: "We are moving with urgency toward global regulatory submissions." The drugs are now waiting for approval from the FDA in the USA.

The new medicines could make life easier for people with health conditions. The rival company said: "For the majority of patients, this could be the main medicine that they need to control their type 2 diabetes as well as their obesity." Currently, the drug is in the form of a once-weekly injection. If approved, it could be a once-daily pill. The company said the drug could "redefine" how obesity is treated. It is likely that the new drugs will be cheaper.