Lilly’s retatrutide shows greater A1C reduction and weight loss than Ozempic in Phase 3 trial
The TRANSCEND-T2D-2 trial found greater reductions in A1C, body weight and certain cardiovascular risk factors with retatrutide at 80 weeks
Eli Lilly and Company has announced positive topline results from TRANSCEND-T2D-2, a head-to-head Phase 3 trial comparing retatrutide with injectable Ozempic 2 mg in adults with type 2 diabetes. At 80 weeks, retatrutide met the primary and all key secondary endpoints, delivering greater A1C reduction and weight loss than Ozempic.1,2
Kenneth Custer, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and President of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, said, “Head-to-head trials show patients and physicians how a potential new medicine compares with treatments that are available and reimbursed today. In TRANSCEND-T2D-2, the first Phase 3 trial comparing retatrutide with another incretin medicine, retatrutide delivered greater A1C reduction and more than double the weight loss of the highest dose of Ozempic approved in the U.S. for type 2 diabetes. 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.”
In the TRANSCEND-T2D-2 trial, both doses of retatrutide reduced A1C by an average of 2.2 per cent, compared with 1.8 per cent with Ozempic at 80 weeks.
Participants taking retatrutide lost an average of 20.1 kg (19.5 per cent) with the 9 mg dose and 21.5 kg (20.9 per cent) with the 12 mg dose, compared with 9.5 kg (9.4 per cent) with Ozempic.
Retatrutide also delivered greater improvements than Ozempic in certain cardiovascular risk factors, including non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and systolic blood pressure.
The most common adverse events reported in the trial with retatrutide at 9 mg and 12 mg, respectively, compared with Ozempic, were diarrhoea (28.3 per cent and 32.7 per cent versus 26.4 per cent), nausea (21.2 per cent and 23.8 per cent versus 21.3 per cent), constipation (14.2 per cent and 13.1 per cent versus 19.8 per cent), vomiting (10.2 per cent and 15.0 per cent versus 13.2 per cent), and dyspepsia (10.4 per cent and 8.5 per cent versus 11.6 per cent).
The incidence of dysesthesia was 4.8 per cent with retatrutide 9 mg, 6.5 per cent with retatrutide 12 mg and 2.7 per cent with Ozempic. The incidence of urinary tract infections was 5.8 per cent, 4.2 per cent and 5.8 per cent, respectively.
The majority of these events were mild to moderate and typically resolved during treatment. Treatment discontinuation rates due to adverse events were 4.8 per cent with retatrutide 9 mg, 7.9 per cent with retatrutide 12 mg and 2.7 per cent with Ozempic.