Lilly says ‘triple-G’ drug beat Novo’s Ozempic in diabetes study
Topline Phase 3 data compare the investigational peptide with semaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes.
TL;DR
- Lilly reported that retatrutide reduced A1C and body weight more than Ozempic in a head-to-head Phase 3 study.
- The reported efficacy estimates assume participants stayed on treatment without additional glucose-lowering medication.
- Discontinuations due to adverse events were more frequent in both retatrutide groups.
Eli Lilly reported topline results from TRANSCEND-T2D-2, a randomized, open-label comparison of retatrutide and Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic in adults with type 2 diabetes. The company said the Phase 3 study enrolled 1,298 participants. [1] [2]
At 80 weeks, both retatrutide groups had an average A1C reduction of 2.2 percentage points, versus 1.8 percentage points with Ozempic. Average weight loss was 19.5% and 20.9% for retatrutide 9 mg and 12 mg, respectively, versus 9.4% for Ozempic 2 mg. [2] [3]
The reported efficacy estimates assume participants remained on treatment without additional glucose-lowering medication. Lilly reported adverse-event discontinuation rates of 4.8% and 7.9% in the retatrutide groups, versus 2.7% with Ozempic. [2] [3]
The 12 mg group met the primary noninferiority objective for A1C and also showed superiority under the trial’s error-control procedure; the 9 mg superiority result was nominal. Lilly said detailed results will be presented at a medical meeting and published in a peer-reviewed journal. [2] [3]
Why it matters
The direct comparison adds evidence to the competitive assessment of a drug still in development, while the different discontinuation rates and the chosen efficacy estimand are important to interpreting the results.
Editor's note
Lilly supplied topline data; the full study has not yet been published. STAT’s accessible text ends at its paywall, and independent coverage reports the same company-supplied trial rather than an independent replication.