Lilly's retatrutide beats Ozempic on blood sugar and weight loss in head-to-head Phase 3 trial

Participants on retatrutide lost an average of 19.5% of body weight on the 9 mg dose and 20.9% on the 12 mg dose, versus 9.4% on Ozempic, Lilly said. Reuters also reported the results. The company said it was the sixth Phase 3 trial of retatrutide to meet its goals.

The most common side effects were gastrointestinal, including diarrhea and nausea. Discontinuation due to side effects was 4.8% and 7.9% on the two retatrutide doses, compared with 2.7% on Ozempic. Lilly said full results will be presented at a medical meeting and published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Why it matters: It is the first Phase 3 head-to-head comparison of retatrutide against Ozempic. Retatrutide has not been approved by the FDA.