--- description: The triple-acting drug retatrutide was found to lower blood sugar and weight in people with diabetes. title: Lilly’s Experimental Diabetes Drug Shows Promise for Weight Loss image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b1a0e994e2d9111/69bb158b37384bb159599ed3/GettyImages-2228875514.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Obesity](/tag/obesity/) ## Obesity Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Lilly’s Experimental Diabetes Drug Shows Promise for Weight Loss  by [Alice Park](/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Mar 19, 2026 2:31 PM CUT  Cheng Xin—Getty Images  by [Alice Park](/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Mar 19, 2026 2:31 PM CUT With the success of [GLP-1-based drugs](https://time.com/7278429/weight-loss-obesity-pill-eli-lilly/ "undefined"), pharmaceutical companies are aggressively pursuing next-generation versions that could provide patients with more refined options for [controlling diabetes](https://time.com/6551555/diabetes-treatment-diet-essay/ "undefined") and [obesity](https://time.com/7301143/obesity-classified-as-a-disease/ "undefined"). In a March 19 [press release](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lillys-triple-agonist-retatrutide-demonstrated-significant-reductions-in-a1c-and-weight-in-first-phase-3-trial-for-treatment-of-type-2-diabetes-302718589.html "undefined"), Eli Lilly reported the first late-stage results of its experimental drug retatrutide, which targets three weight-related hormones: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. (Lilly’s drugs Mounjaro, which treats diabetes, and Zepbound, which treats obesity, both target GLP-1 and GIP.) Adding glucagon led to greater [weight loss](https://time.com/collections/guide-to-weight-loss/ "undefined") in a group of more than 530 people recently diagnosed with diabetes who were randomly assigned to one of three doses of retatrutide, compared to placebo. People who took the highest dose of retatrutide lowered their A1C, a measure of blood sugar, by up to 2%—similar to Mounjaro—and helped people to lose an average of 16.8% of their starting weight over the 40-week study period. Those who took placebo lowered their A1C by 0.8% and lost an average of 2.5% of their weight. Lilly’s studies of Mounjaro and Zepbound show that they help people taking them to lose anywhere from 15% to 20% of their body mass. “For patients with diabetes, a population that has historically struggled to lose weight and could be seeking a greater level of weight loss, this data suggests retatrutide could be a strong option,” says Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly cardiometabolic health. The data also suggest that the drug contributes to positive changes in [heart disease-related factors](https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/stopping-glp-1-drugs-heart-risk "undefined") by lowering cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. Adding another target did not substantially increase the side effects of the drugs, which are similar to those for other GLP-1-based drugs, and include gastrointestinal discomfort, diarrhea, and nausea. The data are just the first on the drug, and Lilly is also studying it for obesity, osteoarthritis, and other indications. Those results are expected later this year. Custer says that potentially adding drugs like retatrutide to the list of medications available for people with diabetes, obesity, or both is important since different patients will need to lower their blood sugar or weight by different amounts over varying periods of time. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/lilly-diabetes-weight-loss-drug-retatrutide/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/lilly-diabetes-weight-loss-drug-retatrutide/"},"headline":"Lilly’s Experimental Diabetes Drug Shows Promise for Weight Loss","datePublished":"2026-03-19T14:31:40.412Z","dateModified":"2026-05-13T06:52:26.866Z","description":"The triple-acting drug was found to lower blood sugar and weight in people with diabetes.","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/lilly-diabetes-weight-loss-drug-retatrutide/","keywords":["Obesity","diabetes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b1a0e994e2d9111/69bb158b37384bb159599ed3/GettyImages-2228875514.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b1a0e994e2d9111/69bb158b37384bb159599ed3/GettyImages-2228875514.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-2228875514.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Cheng Xin—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/obesity/","name":"Obesity"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/03/18/lilly-diabetes-weight-loss-drug-retatrutide/","name":"Lilly’s Experimental Diabetes Drug Shows Promise for Weight Loss"}}]}] ```