Lilly's next-gen drug outshines Ozempic on weight loss, blood sugar control in trial

Novo Nordisk A/S

28/10/2026 10:45

Oct 28 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly's LLY.N experimental next-generation drug retatrutide outperformed a lower-dose version of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic on blood sugar control and showed more than double weight loss in a study of adults with type 2 diabetes.
The head-to-head trial compared 9 mg and 12 mg doses of Lilly's retatrutide with a 2 mg dose of Novo's NOVOb.CO diabetes drug Ozempic, Lilly said on Wednesday. 
Here are some details:
In the late-stage trial, both doses of retatrutide lowered A1C, a measure of blood sugar over time, by an average of 2.2% compared with Ozempic's 1.8% at 80 weeks
Those taking retatrutide lost an average of 44.3 pounds on the 9mg dose and 47.4 pounds on 12 mg compared with 20.9 pounds with Ozempic
Lilly said the trial used Ozempic 2 mg as a comparator as it is the highest approved dose available
Retatrutide also delivered greater improvements than Ozempic across certain cardiovascular risk factors
"Based on these results and those from across our Phase 3 program, we believe retatrutide, if approved, could shift the treatment paradigm for people living with type 2 diabetes, obesity and related cardiometabolic conditions," said Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health
The once weekly drug, retatrutide, activates three hormone receptors - GLP-1, GIP ​and glucagon - earning it the nickname "triple-G"
Triple-G weight-loss drugs are expected to produce greater weight loss than earlier generations by combining ​appetite suppression, blood sugar control and increased calorie burning



 (Reporting by Sriparna Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
 ((Sriparna.Roy@thomsonreuters.com;))