Eli Lilly reported that its experimental triple-G drug retatrutide outperformed Novo Nordisk's Ozempic in an 80-week head-to-head diabetes study. Patients on the highest retatrutide dose reduced A1C blood sugar levels by 2.2 percentage points and lost 20.9% of body weight, compared to 1.8 percentage points and 9.4% weight loss on Ozempic. Retatrutide caused higher gastrointestinal side effects, leading to a 7.9% treatment discontinuation rate. Lilly plans to seek U.S. approval in 2027.
Trial design and patient retention
- ▪The weight loss and blood sugar reduction results from the retatrutide-Ozempic diabetes trial reported by STAT News were based on analyses of trial participants who stayed on treatment rather than all participants
- ▪In the head-to-head retatrutide-Ozempic diabetes trial, approximately 7.9% of patients receiving the highest dose of Eli Lilly's retatrutide discontinued treatment, compared with 2.7% in the Novo Nordisk Ozempic group
- ▪The late-stage head-to-head trial compared 9 mg and 12 mg doses of Eli Lilly's retatrutide against a 2 mg dose of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, which is the highest approved dose available
Retatrutide mechanism of action
- ▪Eli Lilly's once-weekly drug retatrutide, nicknamed triple-G, simultaneously activates GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon hormone receptors
- ▪Triple-G receptor drugs aim to deliver greater weight loss than earlier generations of GLP-1 drugs by combining appetite suppression, blood sugar control, and increased calorie burning
Future regulatory and clinical plans
- ▪Eli Lilly is conducting another late-stage study testing retatrutide against tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound, among adults with obesity with or without type 2 diabetes
- ▪Eli Lilly plans to seek regulatory approval for retatrutide in the United States in 2027
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