Lilly’s new drug beats Ozempic in trial for weight loss and glucose control

Oct 28 (Reuters) – Eli Lilly’s experimental retatrutide, a next-generation obesity and diabetes drug, delivered better blood sugar control than a lower-dose version of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and produced more than twice the weight loss in a study involving adults with type 2 diabetes.

The direct comparison tested 9 mg and 12 mg doses of Lilly’s retatrutide against a 2 mg dose of Novo’s diabetes medicine Ozempic, Lilly said on Wednesday.

Here are some details:

• In the late-stage trial, both retatrutide doses reduced A1C, a long-term blood sugar measure, by an average of 2.2%, compared with 1.8% for Ozempic after 80 weeks.
• Participants on retatrutide lost an average of 44.3 pounds at the 9 mg dose and 47.4 pounds at 12 mg, versus 20.9 pounds for those taking Ozempic.
• Lilly said it used Ozempic 2 mg as the comparison because it is the highest approved dose available.
• Retatrutide also showed stronger gains than Ozempic on 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 activates three hormone receptors — GLP-1, GIP and glucagon — which has led to the nickname “triple-G.”
• Triple-G weight-loss medicines are expected to drive greater weight reduction than earlier generations by combining appetite suppression, better blood sugar control and increased calorie burning.