Latest roundup ยท
Retatrutide cuts mean weight 25.0% at top dose; oral orforglipron meets heart safety test; physician groups rebut AI claims
THE SHORT READ
Retatrutide given weekly cut mean body weight 25.0% at the highest dose over 80 weeks in adults with obesity, a phase 3 trial published Sept. 29 in The New England Journal of Medicine reported. A second trial in The Lancet reported 18.8% loss at that dose in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Six physician groups including the American College of Physicians (ACP) criticized statements suggesting AI is better informed than physicians, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a Part B drug pricing model.
THE DETAILS
- Research Sept 29, 2026In TRIUMPH-1, 2,339 adults with obesity without diabetes were randomized to once-weekly retatrutide 4 mg, 9 mg or 12 mg or placebo for 80 weeks; mean body weight fell 17.6%, 23.7% and 25.0% versus 3.9% with placebo, investigators reported Sept. 29 in The New England Journal of Medicine. The drug also reduced knee osteoarthritis pain and apnea-hypopnea events, and the most common adverse events were gastrointestinal. In TRIUMPH-2 in The Lancet, 1,152 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes lost a mean 11.9%, 16.8% and 18.8% at week 80 versus 5.1% with placebo (treatment-regimen estimand). Eli Lilly funded both trials.
- Research Sept 30, 2026The open-label ACHIEVE-4 trial randomized 2,749 adults with type 2 diabetes at increased cardiovascular risk at 317 sites in 16 countries and territories to once-daily oral orforglipron or titrated insulin glargine, according to results published Sept. 30 in The Lancet. Among participants who took at least one dose, four-component major adverse cardiovascular events occurred in 57 of 1,358 on orforglipron (4.2%) and 67 of 1,343 on insulin glargine (5.0%) over a median two years (hazard ratio 0.84; 95% CI 0.59 to 1.20), meeting the noninferiority criterion of an upper confidence limit below 1.8. Eli Lilly and Company funded the trial.Sources: The Lancet, PubMed
- Policy Sept 30, 2026The American College of Physicians, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Surgeons said in a joint statement Sept. 30 that statements suggesting AI is inherently better informed than physicians "diminish physician expertise and risk undermining patients' trust." On Sept. 29, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at a Make America Healthy Again conference that artificial intelligence is "better informed than any doctor in the country," KFF Health News reported, citing The New York Times.
- Payment Sept 30, 2026The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Sept. 30 finalized the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) Model, which uses international drug pricing information to set a benchmark for calculating Medicare Part B inflation rebates on certain separately payable drugs typically administered by clinicians. The model applies to beneficiaries in randomly selected geographic areas encompassing about 25% of Original Medicare beneficiaries and runs from Jan. 1, 2027, to March 31, 2032. CMS said affected beneficiaries may see reduced out-of-pocket costs beginning April 1, 2027.Source: CMS