Real-world evidence from LEGEND-T2DM (JACC 2026):
GLP-1RAs ≈ SGLT2is for CV outcomes at the ingredient level in 1.2M T2DM patients on metformin across 10 global databases.
Guideline flexibility supported — choose based on comparative safety profiles, not CV efficacy alone.
🤯 JUST IN: INCREDIBLE PHASE 3 DATA ON RETATRUTIDE PRESENTED AT ADA
At ADA this weekend, Eli Lilly ($LLY ) presented new Phase 3 data from TRIUMPH-1 and TRANSCEND-T2D-1. BLUF: 28% (70 pounds) weight loss. Unreal.
In TRIUMPH-1, participants receiving 12 mg of retatrutide lost an average of 70.3 pounds (28.3%) over 80 weeks. Nearly half achieved at least 30% weight loss, and 65.3% were no longer classified as obese (BMI <30) by the end of the study. Among participants who started with BMI ��35 and continued treatment to 104 weeks, average weight loss reached 85 pounds (30.3%), with no evidence that weight loss had fully plateaued.
What stood out more was the breadth of effect across obesity-related conditions:
Knee osteoarthritis pain improved by 73.1%
Obstructive sleep apnea severity improved by 60.6%
Triglycerides fell by as much as 41.0%
Non-HDL cholesterol declined by 24.2%
Systolic blood pressure dropped by 12.3 mmHg
Waist circumference decreased by 9.5 inches
Meanwhile, in TRANSCEND-T2D-1, retatrutide produced A1C reductions of up to 2.0% from a baseline of 7.9%.
90% of patients achieved A1C <7%
85% achieved A1C ≤6.5%
46% reached A1C <5.7%, which is below the threshold used to define prediabetes
Patients lost 36.6 pounds (16.8%) at 40 weeks, and weight loss was still ongoing at study end.
Obesity medicine is increasingly becoming outcomes medicine.
Historically, we have evaluated obesity drugs primarily on percent weight loss... but payers ultimately care about sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular risk, and healthcare costs.
The significance of TRIUMPH-1 and TRANSCEND-T2D-1 is that Lilly is beginning to show a coherent story across those endpoints, not just body weight. I expect this to expand coverage dramatically.
Eli Lilly is the Nvidia of healthcare.