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A flurry of phase 2 and 3 trial data presented at EASD 2026 in Milan is reshaping the obesity-diabetes treatment landscape. Survodutide showed modest weight loss (up to 9.8%) but struggled with high discontinuation rates, while retatrutide hit over 20% weight loss in type 2 diabetes patients and an eloralintide-tirzepatide combo achieved a striking 23.3% reduction — numbers once associated with bariatric surgery.
Three major datasets presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2026 Annual Meeting in Milan are painting a rapidly evolving picture of pharmacologic weight loss in type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Survodutide (Boehringer Ingelheim), a dual GLP-1/glucagon agonist, delivered up to 9.8% body weight reduction at 76 weeks in the phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE-2 trial — meaningful, but trailing competitors. The bigger concern: ~18% of participants in both dose groups discontinued due to gastrointestinal side effects, far exceeding rates seen with semaglutide (~5%) or retatrutide (~2%). Boehringer says future trials will use more flexible titration strategies to address tolerability.
Retatrutide (Eli Lilly), a triple GIP/GLP-1/glucagon agonist, achieved up to 20.8% weight loss (efficacy estimand) at 80 weeks in T2D patients in the phase 3 TRIUMPH-2 trial — a threshold previously out of reach with GLP-1 drugs in this population. Meanwhile, a phase 2 trial of eloralintide + tirzepatide pushed the ceiling further, with the highest-dose combination yielding 23.3% weight loss at 48 weeks and up to 77% of patients achieving normoglycemia.
For the hundreds of millions of people living with T2D globally, meaningful weight loss has historically been harder to achieve than in people without diabetes. These trials signal a new era where pharmacotherapy may approach surgical outcomes — but tolerability and real-world adherence remain critical hurdles before these drugs can deliver on their full promise.
