Retatrutide clinical trials: TRIUMPH and TRANSCEND tracker
Last reviewed by retainfo editorial team. How we review content.
Retatrutide is being tested in two large programmes: TRIUMPH, for obesity and its complications, and TRANSCEND, for type 2 diabetes. This page tracks all of them. Every figure links to the announcement or paper it came from.
Programme tracker
Click a column heading to sort. "Reported" means a company announcement; "Published" means a peer-reviewed paper.
| Registry | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 2 obesity (NEJM 2023)Phase 2 | Adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition; no diabetes | 338 | 48 | Published | Up to 24.2% mean weight loss at 48 weeks (12 mg) vs 2.1% placebo | NCT04881760 |
| Phase 2a liver-fat substudy (Nature Medicine 2024)Phase 2a substudy | Participants from the Phase 2 obesity trial with MASLD and liver fat of 10% or more | 98 | 48 | Published | Liver fat down 82.4% at 24 weeks (12 mg); 86% reached normal liver fat | NCT04881760 |
| SYNERGY-Outcomes (MASLD master protocol)Phase 3 | Adults with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD/MASH); includes a retatrutide arm | 4,500 | — | Recruiting | Liver outcomes; primary completion expected 2030 | NCT07165028 |
| TRANSCEND-T2D-1Phase 3 | Adults with type 2 diabetes not controlled by diet and exercise alone (no other glucose-lowering drugs) | 537 | 40 | Published | HbA1c down 1.7 to 1.9 points vs 0.8 placebo; weight down 11.5% to 15.3% (Lancet, June 2026) | NCT06354660 |
| TRANSCEND-T2D-2Phase 3 | Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin (with or without an SGLT2 inhibitor): retatrutide vs semaglutide | 1,250 | — | Ongoing | Result pending (primary completion expected around August 2026) | NCT06260722 |
| TRANSCEND-T2D-3Phase 3 | Adults with type 2 diabetes and moderate or severe kidney impairment on basal insulin | 320 | — | Ongoing | Result pending (primary completion expected around October 2026) | NCT06297603 |
| TRIUMPH-1Phase 3 | Adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition; no diabetes (nested OSA and knee OA groups) | 2,339 | 80 | Reported | 17.6% / 23.7% / 25.0% (4 / 9 / 12 mg) vs 3.9% placebo at 80 weeks; 30.3% at 104 weeks in the BMI 35+ extension | NCT05929066 |
| TRIUMPH-2Phase 3 | Adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity or overweight | 1,152 | 80 | Reported | 12.7% / 19.1% / 20.8% vs 4.0% placebo; HbA1c down up to 1.6 points | NCT05929079 |
| TRIUMPH-3Phase 3 | Adults with severe obesity and established cardiovascular disease, with or without type 2 diabetes | 1,949 | 80 | Reported | 21.6% / 22.6% (9 / 12 mg) vs 3.2% placebo at 80 weeks | NCT05882045 |
| TRIUMPH-4Phase 3 | Adults with obesity or overweight and knee osteoarthritis | 445 | 68 | Reported | 20.0% / 23.7% (9 / 12 mg) vs 4.6% placebo (treatment-regimen); up to 28.7% on the efficacy estimand; WOMAC pain down ~75% | NCT05931367 |
| TRIUMPH-5Phase 3 | Adults with obesity: retatrutide head-to-head against tirzepatide | 800 | — | Ongoing | Result pending (primary completion expected around November 2026) | NCT06662383 |
| TRIUMPH-6Phase 3 | Adults with obesity: maintenance of weight reduction after initial loss | 643 | — | Ongoing | Result pending (primary completion expected 2028) | NCT06859268 |
| TRIUMPH-7Phase 3 | Adults with obesity or overweight and chronic low back pain | 586 | 80 | Ongoing | Result pending (primary completion expected September 2027) | NCT07035093 |
| TRIUMPH-8Phase 3 | Adults with obesity or overweight without type 2 diabetes (smaller supplementary study) | 250 | — | Ongoing | Result pending (primary completion expected mid-2027) | NCT07232719 |
| TRIUMPH-9Phase 3 | Adults with obesity or overweight: comparison of different dose-escalation approaches | 600 | — | Ongoing | Result pending (primary completion expected 2028) | NCT07357415 |
| TRIUMPH-OutcomesPhase 3 (event-driven) | Adults with obesity and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and/or chronic kidney disease | 10,000 | — | Ongoing | Cardiovascular and kidney outcomes; primary completion expected around 2029 | NCT06383390 |
All registrations can be checked on ClinicalTrials.gov.[4]
Trial summaries
- 1.How to read a retatrutide trial result
Estimands, placebo-adjusted figures, topline versus peer-reviewed, why averages hide the spread, who was excluded, and how to check a trial yourself.
- 2.Phase 2 trial (NEJM 2023): retatrutide's first big result
The peer-reviewed Phase 2 retatrutide trial: 338 adults, 48 weeks, 24.2% weight loss at the top dose versus 2.1% on placebo, plus heart and liver data.
- 3.TRIUMPH-1: retatrutide's main obesity trial explained
TRIUMPH-1 results in plain English: 2,339 adults, 80 weeks, 17.6% to 25.0% average weight loss versus 3.9% on placebo, side effects and drop-out rates.
- 4.TRIUMPH-2: retatrutide in type 2 diabetes and obesity
TRIUMPH-2 topline: 1,152 adults with type 2 diabetes, 80 weeks, 12.7% to 20.8% weight loss versus 4.0% on placebo, HbA1c changes, side effects, drop-outs.
- 5.TRIUMPH-3: retatrutide in severe obesity and heart disease
TRIUMPH-3 topline: 1,949 adults with severe obesity and heart disease, 21.6% to 22.6% weight loss versus 3.2%, and why it cannot prove fewer heart attacks.
- 6.TRIUMPH-4: retatrutide for obesity with knee osteoarthritis
TRIUMPH-4, the first Phase 3 retatrutide trial to report: 445 adults, 68 weeks, both estimands, knee-pain scores, the dysesthesia signal and drop-outs.
- 7.TRIUMPH-5: retatrutide versus tirzepatide, result pending
TRIUMPH-5 is the only direct trial of retatrutide against tirzepatide (Mounjaro). It has not reported. What it will and will not answer.
- 8.TRIUMPH-Outcomes: the heart and kidney trial, due 2029
TRIUMPH-Outcomes will test whether retatrutide prevents heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure in 10,000 people. Why weight loss alone is not proof.
- 9.Retatrutide's other trials: sleep apnoea, liver, diabetes
Beyond weight: retatrutide trials in sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease, chronic back pain and type 2 diabetes, plus the maintenance and escalation studies.
Two numbers for every result
Lilly reports each weight-loss result two ways, and news coverage often quotes the bigger one without saying so.[5]
- The treatment-regimen estimand counts everyone who was randomised, whether or not they kept taking the drug. It is closer to "what happened to the whole group".
- The efficacy estimand counts people while they were still taking the drug as intended. It is closer to "what the drug does if you can stay on it".
On this site the treatment-regimen figure comes first unless stated. Both are given on each trial page.
References
- Giblin K, Kaplan LM, Somers VK, et al. Retatrutide for the treatment of obesity, obstructive sleep apnea and knee osteoarthritis: Rationale and design of the TRIUMPH registrational clinical trials. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (doi:10.1111/dom.70209), 15 October 2025. Primary source
- Lilly's triple agonist, retatrutide, delivered weight loss of up to an average of 71.2 lbs along with substantial relief from osteoarthritis pain in first successful Phase 3 trial (TRIUMPH-4 topline results). Eli Lilly and Company, press release, 11 December 2025. Primary source
- TRIUMPH-Outcomes: Cardiovascular and Kidney Outcomes Study of Retatrutide (NCT06383390). ClinicalTrials.gov, 1 January 2026. Primary source
- All registered retatrutide (LY3437943) studies. ClinicalTrials.gov search, 1 September 2026. Primary source
- Lilly's triple agonist, retatrutide, successful in two additional Phase 3 obesity trials, delivering significant improvements in weight and A1C (TRIUMPH-2 and TRIUMPH-3 topline results). Eli Lilly and Company, press release, 23 July 2026. Primary source