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People with Type 2 diabetes lost up to 60 pounds on Lilly’s latest weight loss drug
Confirmed
In Short: Eli Lilly's new GLP-1 drug retatrutide helped people with Type 2 diabetes lose up to 60 pounds, or about 23% of their body weight, according to late-stage trial results published Tuesday in The Lancet.
In clinical trials, retatrutide showed significant weight loss compared to other GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide, which helped patients lose up to 10% and 15% of their body weight, respectively.
Dr. Susan Spratt, an endocrinologist at Duke Health, said, “Retatrutide is truly an advance in diabetes care.” She noted that many diabetes medications, such as insulin, cause weight gain, which can be discouraging for patients.
The new trial found that retatrutide effectively lowered blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes, with some achieving an A1C level of 5.7%, indicating their diabetes went into remission.
Results from another trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that retatrutide helped patients without Type 2 diabetes who have obesity or are overweight lose up to 70 pounds, or 25% of their body weight on average, after 80 weeks.
The drug targets three hormones by adding glucagon to the mix, in addition to GLP-1 and GIP, making it a triple agonist.
Eli Lilly’s trial included more than 1,110 patients who had an average starting weight of about 234 pounds and an average body mass index of about 38.
A subset of patients with severe obesity lost up to 85 pounds, or 30% of their body weight, after 104 weeks, matching the results of bariatric surgery.
The drug’s side effects were mild to moderate in severity, and the company noted that it is designed to reduce injections by over 300 per year compared to once-daily basal insulin treatments.
Eli Lilly’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $1.73 per share on outstanding common stock for the third quarter of 2026.
The FDA approved the once-weekly injectable basal insulin drug insulin efsitora alfa-gobe (Onswik) for use as an adjunct with diet and exercise to help control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
The approval was supported by four Phase 3 QWINT clinical trials involving more than 3,400 adults with type 2 diabetes.
Eli Lilly also announced a $6.5 billion API facility in Houston to produce orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist.
What this adds
The study is by Dr Hunter Thomas Hoffman, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA – the sponsor of the study and manufacturer of orforglipron.
New analyses show that the new daily oral weight loss / type 2 diabetes medication orforglipron was associated with similar weight loss for women of different ages and at different life stages – premenopausal, experiencing menopause, or post-menopausal.
The drug’s safety and efficacy in children have not been established.
Background
A new study published in Medscape highlights the effectiveness of orforglipron, an oral non-peptide GLP-1 receptor agonist, in managing obesity among women across different menopausal stages.
During a recent appearance on the "Breaking Bread" podcast, 57-year-old actor Billy Gardell revealed that his decision to undergo bariatric surgery 'probably saved his life.
What's confirmed
- The FDA has approved the once-weekly injectable basal insulin drug insulin efsitora alfa-gobe (Onswik, Eli Lilly) for use as an adjunct with diet and exercise to help control blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
- Food and Drug Administration approval on September 24, 2026, for Onswik, a once-weekly basal insulin treatment for adults with type 2 diabetes.
- "For over a century, Lilly has been developing insulins that transformed diabetes care for millions of people worldwide, but delays in initiating treatment and the burden of daily injections can have a real impact on patients' day-to-day experience managing type 2 diabetes," said Kenneth Custer, PhD, executive vice president and president, Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, in a press release.
- 1 "Onswik offers a new once-weekly basal insulin option for patients and reflects our continued commitment to deliver innovative treatment options that expand choice and provide greater flexibility in how people manage type 2 diabetes." The approval is based on the phase III QWINT program.
- 1 Efsitora is not indicated for type 1 diabetes because of an increased risk of severe hypoglycemia.
What's still developing
- Earlier data suggests the drug appears to help the heart.
- It’s the most weight loss ever recorded in a drug trial for diabetes patients, a group that often has a harder time losing weight.
- She was not involved in the trial and does not receive money from Eli Lilly.
- In the editorial, the authors also noted the increasing number of options for glucose control, including newer GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs and dose adjustment options with icodec.
- "In addition, the second and third generation double and triple agonists have been shown to be even more effective for weight loss as well as glucose tolerance than the single agonists." That being said, "there is still a niche for long-acting insulin, particularly in those individuals who have little or no residual insulin secretion and have longstanding T2D," he concluded.
- Efsitora's approval lands days after Lilly broke ground on a $6.5 billion API facility in Houston, its fifth domestic ingredient site among ten US manufacturing locations announced since 2020. 2 The plant will produce orforglipron (Foundayo), an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist.
- The FDA approves Lilly's once-weekly insulin efsitora for type 2 diabetes, raising Fc-fusion manufacturing, high-concentration pen, and capacity questions.
- Novo Nordisk expanded its metabolic portfolio when the FDA approved its once-weekly insulin icodec (Awiqli) for type 2 diabetes on the strength of ONWARDS phase III data.
- Nocturnal event rates were 0.67 vs 1.00 events per patient-year (ERR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.44–1.01; P =.058).⁵ Serious adverse events occurred in 7% (25/365) of efsitora recipients and 6% (23/365) of glargine recipients.⁵ According to Eli Lilly, efsitora demonstrated an overall safety profile similar to the daily basal insulins studied.
- It is not indicated for type 1 diabetes, and its safety and efficacy in children have not been established.
- Kenneth Custer, Ph.D., the executive vice president and president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, said the once-weekly treatment option expands choice and provides greater flexibility in managing the disease.
- For women given orforglipron, significant and similar reductions in body weight up to 14% were experienced for pre-menopausal, peri-menopausal and post-menopausal women in ATTAIN-1, and in ATTAIN-2. (see results table full abstract) Significant reductions in waist circumference of up to 12.5 cm were observed across subgroups with orforglipron for both studies.
Sources
- Hcplivelink
- Livenowfoxlink
- NBC Newslink
- News-Medicallink
- Pharmaceutical-Business-Reviewlink
- Medscapelink
- Grafalink
- Pharmtechlink
- Allscilink
- Fiercepharmalink
- Managedhealthcareexecutivelink
- Patientcareonlinelink
- WarpBeat — background on Orforglipron Shows Weight Loss Benefits Across Menopausal Stages link
- WarpBeat — background on Billy Gardell Reveals Weight Loss Surgery Saved His Life link
- WISH-TV — video link