Retatrutide Head-to-Head Trial Shows Greater A1C Cut Than Ozempic
October 29, 2026
Eli Lilly reported positive topline results from its retatrutide head-to-head trial against injectable Ozempic 2 mg. Retatrutide lowered A1C more than Ozempic did and produced more than double the weight loss at 80 weeks in adults with type 2 diabetes. Lilly announced the results on 28 October 2026.
Retatrutide head-to-head trial results at 80 weeks
The TRANSCEND-T2D-2 trial randomized 1,298 adults with type 2 diabetes to retatrutide 9 mg, retatrutide 12 mg or Ozempic 2 mg. Retatrutide met the primary and all key secondary endpoints. Both doses lowered A1C by an average of 2.2%, against 1.8% for Ozempic. Participants lost an average of 44.3 lbs (19.5%) on 9 mg and 47.4 lbs (20.9%) on 12 mg, compared with 20.9 lbs (9.4%) on Ozempic. Lilly also reports greater improvements in non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure. Discontinuation due to adverse events was 4.8% on 9 mg and 7.9% on 12 mg, against 2.7% on Ozempic.
Why it matters
Lilly calls this the sixth Phase 3 trial in which retatrutide has delivered efficacy, following earlier Phase 3 results. The comparator is the highest approved dose of Ozempic, and Lilly argues that head-to-head trials show how a potential new medicine compares with treatments that are available and reimbursed today. Lilly’s EloraTZP Phase 2b study, reported on 30 September, compared eloralintide added to tirzepatide with tirzepatide 15 mg alone.
The data are topline and company-reported. Lilly says full results will be presented at a future medical meeting and published in a peer-reviewed journal. Retatrutide is investigational and has not been approved by FDA or any regulatory organization anywhere in the world, so these results describe a trial, not a product on the market. The 7.9% adverse-event discontinuation rate on 12 mg, against 2.7% on Ozempic, is the number to weigh against the efficacy gain.
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