Retatrutide posts huge Phase‑3 gains
Eli Lilly’s triple‑agonist retatrutide just reported up to a 2.0% A1C drop and 16.8% weight loss in its first Phase‑3 trial for people with type 2 diabetes — the biggest combo of glycemic and weight effects seen so far in diabetes drug trials. Results were presented as part of the Phase‑3 readout this week and are being framed as a potential game‑changer for cardio‑metabolic treatment strategies. ( )
TRANSCEND‑T2D‑1 was a 40‑week, randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled study that assigned 537 adults in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to three retatrutide dose arms (4 mg, 9 mg, 12 mg) or placebo. (clinicaltrials.gov)) Study participants entered with a mean HbA1c of 7.9%, a mean body weight of 96.9 kg (213.6 lbs) and a mean BMI of 35.8 kg/m2, and the cohort’s average duration of diagnosed diabetes was 2.5 years. (prnewswire.com)) On the primary and key secondary endpoints at 40 weeks, active arms produced A1c reductions of roughly 1.7–1.9 percentage points versus about 0.8 points with placebo, while percent weight loss at 40 weeks measured about 11.5% at the lowest active dose and about 15.5% at the mid dose. (prnewswire.com)) Safety data disclosed higher rates of gastrointestinal adverse events on retatrutide: nausea in roughly 16–27% of treated participants versus 3.7% on placebo, diarrhea in about 19–26% versus 4.5%, vomiting 15–18% versus 2.2%, plus reports of dysesthesia in 2.3–4.5% and discontinuations ranging ~2.2–5.1% by dose. (tctmd.com)) TRANSCEND‑T2D‑1 is registered as NCT06354660, with primary completion listed January 22, 2026 and study completion February 20, 2026, and Lilly says full, detailed results will be presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in June and submitted for peer‑review. (clinicaltrials.gov))
