Lilly's retatrutide tops Ozempic on weight loss in head-to-head diabetes trial

Eli Lilly reported positive topline Phase 3 results for retatrutide in TRANSCEND-T2D-2, an open-label head-to-head study against Novo Nordisk's Ozempic 2 mg in adults with type 2 diabetes. Per the reports, retatrutide met its primary and all key secondary endpoints at 80 weeks, with weight loss more than double that of the highest approved Ozempic dose and a larger A1C reduction (about 2.2% for both retatrutide doses versus 1.8% for Ozempic, from a baseline near 8.3%). The readout strengthens Lilly's competitive narrative against Novo's semaglutide franchise ahead of Lilly's third-quarter results, and it adds to a run of head-to-head data disputes between the two companies.

1. Lilly announced positive topline Phase 3 TRANSCEND-T2D-2 results for retatrutide versus Novo Nordisk's Ozempic 2 mg, reported October 28, 2026.
2. The open-label trial enrolled 1,298 adults with type 2 diabetes; retatrutide met the primary and all key secondary endpoints at 80 weeks.
3. Reported weight loss on retatrutide was more than double that of the highest approved Ozempic dose.
4. A1C fell about 2.2% on both retatrutide doses versus about 1.8% on Ozempic, from a mean baseline of 8.3%.
5. Lilly is scheduled to report third-quarter results on Thursday, before the market opens.
6. Novo's U.S. court bid to halt Lilly's weight-loss ads was denied on October 26, 2026 and is already held separately.