Eli Lilly announces that its experimental triple agonist drug, retatrutide, helped adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity lose up to 21% of their body weight in a late-stage clinical trial. Additionally, Eli Lilly releases an indirect comparison showing its oral drug Foundayo outperforms Novo Nordisk's Ozempic pill in weight loss and blood sugar control. Novo Nordisk notes the comparison is limited to diabetes patients and awaits an FDA decision on its 25-mg oral semaglutide by the end of 2026.
Retatrutide trial results
- ▪On September 29, 2026, Eli Lilly announced its experimental triple agonist drug retatrutide helped adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity lose up to an average of nearly 21% of body weight in a late-stage clinical trial
- ▪On September 29, 2026, Eli Lilly reported that its experimental drug retatrutide allowed more than half of patients to drop below the obesity line
Foundayo comparison analysis
- ▪Eli Lilly's September 29, 2026, indirect comparison showed its oral obesity drug Foundayo (17.2-milligram) achieved 1.5%-2.4% greater weight loss and 0.3%-0.6% larger A1C reductions than Novo Nordisk's 25-milligram oral semaglutide Ozempic pill in adults with type 2 diabetes
- ▪On September 29, 2026, Eli Lilly stated that its analyses comparing Foundayo and oral semaglutide using different statistical methods produced consistent results
Methodology of the indirect comparison
- ▪Rachel Batterham of Eli Lilly stated that while head-to-head trials provide the best comparison, other approaches like indirect comparisons can provide informative data points when head-to-head data is unavailable, regarding Eli Lilly's comparison of Foundayo and Ozempic
- ▪A Novo Nordisk spokesperson stated that Eli Lilly's indirect treatment comparison of Foundayo and Ozempic pill was conducted in people with type 2 diabetes, who typically do not lose as much weight in clinical studies as those with obesity
Debatable claims
- ▪Weight loss is the most important metric for evaluating new type 2 diabetes treatments
- ▪Drugmakers should only claim superiority over competitors using head-to-head clinical trials
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