Lilly Reports Weight Loss of 47.4 Pounds With Retatrutide, Versus 20.9 With Ozempic
Key Facts
Lilly announced positive preliminary results on October 28, 2026, from the Phase 3 TRANSCEND-T2D-2 trial, which compared retatrutide with Ozempic 2 mg injections in adults with type 2 diabetes. At week 80, average weight loss was 44.3 pounds with the 9 mg dose of retatrutide and 47.4 pounds with the 12 mg dose, versus 20.9 pounds with Ozempic. Average HbA1c fell by 2.2% with both retatrutide doses, compared with 1.8% with Ozempic. The trial enrolled 1,298 adults in an open-label randomized study comparing weekly retatrutide doses of 9 and 12 mg with weekly Ozempic at 2 mg. The company said detailed results will be presented at a future medical meeting and published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The head-to-head comparison offers indications of the experimental drug's performance in reducing weight and controlling blood sugar, alongside differences in recorded side effects. The most common side effects with retatrutide were gastrointestinal, including diarrhea and nausea. Diarrhea was reported by 28.3% of participants on the 9 mg dose and 32.7% on the 12 mg dose, versus 26.4% with Ozempic. Nausea rates were 21.2% and 23.8% with the two retatrutide doses, compared with 21.3% with Ozempic. Discontinuation due to side effects was 4.8% with the lower dose and 7.9% with the higher dose, versus 2.7% with the comparator drug.
Retatrutide remains an experimental drug; Lilly said it is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any regulatory authority worldwide. Full trial details are due to be presented at a future medical meeting and published in a peer-reviewed journal. In market trading, Lilly shares rose 1.89% to $1,312.68 in after-hours trading on October 28, according to Benzinga. The following day, the stock rose more than 6% during trading after the company raised its revenue forecast, reaching $1,369.79 after briefly hitting a record $1,408, according to Reuters via MarketScreener. On October 30, the stock closed at $1417.54, according to EL7 data.
The retatrutide results coincided with data from the company's oncology program. In Phase 1 data for treatment of platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer, Sofe-M with bevacizumab achieved a confirmed response rate of 79.3% among 29 patients with measurable disease, and a disease control rate of 100%. Lilly said the treatment's clinical activity persisted in patients who had previously received PARP inhibitors. The company is currently studying Sofe-M in multiple Phase 3 trials for platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant ovarian cancer under the FRAmework-01 protocol, following the Phase 1 results.
In bowel disease, Omvoh generated about $114 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2026, up 76% from the same period a year earlier. The treatment is approved for adults, while the company plans to submit study data to regulators to support a potential expansion of its use to children. The results reflect growth in an immunology product, while diabetes and obesity drugs account for the bulk of the company's sales.
Third-quarter results show the scale of the commercial business Lilly is expanding: comparable annual revenue rose 39% to $24.4 billion, driven mainly by Mounjaro and Zepbound, according to the company. Mounjaro sales were about $10.72 billion for the quarter, compared with $5.35 billion for Zepbound. The company raised its 2026 revenue guidance to a range of $91 billion to $92 billion. But it said quarterly revenue included about $900 million in benefits, including $410 million in milestone payments related to Jardiance, and said no further milestone payments remain. At the same time, it lowered its 2026 adjusted earnings-per-share forecast to a range of $35.00–$36.00 from $35.50–$36.50, citing acquisition costs recorded in the quarter.