In a Phase III trial, Novo Nordisk's semaglutide, an experimental diabetes pill, was found to be better at lowering blood sugar levels than Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Jardiance.

Novo hopes to launch the once-daily pill in 2020. Semaglutide belongs to a blockbuster class of treatments known as GLP-1s that stimulate insulin production but, Novo's version will be a pill instead of an injection.

According to the company, the positive results from the trial were an important milestone in the clinical development of oral semaglutide.

Read the Reuters report