WEDNESDAY, June 10, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) that is inadequately controlled with diet and exercise alone, retatrutide, a triple hormone receptor agonist, is associated with significant improvements in glycemic control and body weight reductions, according to a study published online June 6 in The Lancet to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association, held from June 5 to 8 in New Orleans.
Harpreet S. Bajaj, M.D., from LMC Diabetes and Endocrinology in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of retatrutide as a monotherapy in a 40-week phase 3 trial involving adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled by diet and exercise alone. Participants were randomly assigned to receive retatrutide (4 mg, 9 mg, or 12 mg) or placebo by once-weekly subcutaneous injection (134, 133, 136, and 134 individuals, respectively).
The researchers found that for the treatment regimen estimand, the mean change from baseline in hemoglobin A1c concentration was −1.69, −1.86, and −1.94 percent with 4, 9, and 12 mg of retatrutide, respectively, versus −0.81 percent with placebo, resulting in estimated treatment differences of −0.88, −1.04, and −1.12 percent, respectively, versus placebo. From baseline, the mean percentage change in body weight was −11.5, −13.9, and −15.3 percent with 4, 9, and 12 mg of retatrutide, respectively, versus −2.6 percent with placebo. The most frequent adverse events were mainly mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal events, which reduced over time.
"The magnitude of weight loss observed with retatrutide has the potential to slow disease progression and reshape how we treat and manage type 2 diabetes," Bajaj said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, which is developing retatrutide and funded the study.
