Novo Nordisk is currently working on a mid-stage clinical study with a so-called GLP-1 medicine that can replace injections, Newsmax Health reports.

The Danish company is already the world's biggest supplier of diabetes medicines, which include its popular GLP-1 product Victoza.

An oral pill version would mark a step-change in therapy by making treatment far more convenient, opening up a major new market at a time when cases of diabetes are soaring worldwide.

 Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs work by stimulating the release of insulin when blood sugar levels become too low.

 Making an oral form of such drugs is far from simple and a key hurdle is to ensure that the medicine is adequately absorbed in the body.

The 600-patient trial will compare the new once-daily GLP-1 pill against a weekly injection of a GLP-1 medicine, known as semaglutide, that Novo currently has in Phase III trials.

If all goes well, Novo believes the GLP-1 pill could hit the market in around five or six years time.