ADA 2026
Summer's hottest obesity & diabetes conference
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The American Diabetes Association (ADA) 86th Scientific Sessions, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, from June 5–8, 2026, served as the premier global stage for groundbreaking research, clinical advances, and therapeutic shifts in diabetes care, obesity management, and metabolic health. Bringing together tens of thousands of clinicians, scientists, and industry leaders from around the world, the 2026 conference marked a definitive turning point in metabolic medicine. Unsurprisingly, the overarching theme of this year’s sessions focused on next-generation obesity/diabetes therapies.
This week, we discuss selected ADA 2026 datasets for:
Injectable Obesity Medicines
The absolute ceiling for weight loss at the conference was established by Eli Lilly’s retatrutide, a GIP/GLP-1/Glucagon triple receptor agonist (GGG). In the Phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 trial for non-diabetic obesity, retatrutide achieved historic, deep weight reductions of -28.3% at 80 weeks and -30.3% at 104 weeks. In the parallel Phase 3 TRANSCEND-T2D-1 trial evaluating a comorbid T2D population, the drug drove a 16.6% weight loss at 40 weeks. On the glycemic front, it allowed 90% of patients to cross the finishing line of an HbA1c < 7.0%.
Boehringer Ingelheim & Zealand Pharma countered with survodutide, a dual GLP-1/Glucagon receptor agonist. In the Phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE-1 trial for obesity, survodutide demonstrated a robust weight loss profile of -13-16.6% at 76 weeks. While it showed a minor numerical HbA1c drop of -0.2% from a normal baseline, the clinical focus of its dual-agonist mechanism heavily emphasized fat quality reduction rather than pure glucose lowering.
Pfizer utilized its Phase 2b VESPER program to showcase berobenatide, an investigational ultra-long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist explicitly designed to challenge the industry’s standard weekly injection paradigm by evaluating both weekly and monthly regimens. The VESPER-1 trial evaluated a once-weekly (QW) subcutaneous dose, reaching a non-placebo-adjusted weight reduction of -15.9% at 32 weeks at the 2.4mg dose level. The VESPER-2 trial proved its glucose-lowering capabilities in a combined T2D and obesity population, delivering a strong -2.2% reduction in HbA1c at 28 weeks. The pivotal proof-of-concept came from the VESPER-3 obesity trial. By testing a once monthly (QM) maintenance strategy, Pfizer proved that patients transitioning to a 4.8mg once-monthly shot could successfully maintain their trajectory, clocking a -14.9% weight loss at 60 weeks without a plateau.
Novo Nordisk focused its presentations on leveraging the combination of amylin and GLP-1 pathways, showcasing two distinct molecular approaches to maximize metabolic control. In a Phase 2b dose-finding trial for type 2 diabetes, Zenagamtide (single-molecule GLP-1/Amylin dual agonist) turned heads by achieving a -14.6% weight reduction in just 36 weeks. This was paired with a -1.71% reduction in HbA1c, with 89.1% of patients achieving the target threshold of < 7.0%. Novo also presented Phase 3 data for CagriSema, a co-formulation of the amylin analog cagrilintide and semaglutide. In the REIMAGINE 1 trial (evaluating adults with T2D and obesity), the fixed-dose combo met its primary and secondary endpoints simultaneously, demonstrating a -13.8% weight loss alongside a -1.8% drop in HbA1c at 40 weeks.
Oral Obesity Medicines
The data from the oral medicine table maps out a fiercely competitive, small-molecule injectable to oral shift presented at ADA 2026. The readouts demonstrate that oral GLP-1 receptor agonists are attempting to close the efficacy gap with injectables, focusing heavily on maximizing convenience while maintaining glycemic control and weight loss.
Eli Lilly anchored the oral small-molecule landscape with comprehensive Phase 3 data from its highly anticipated ATTAIN clinical trial program for orforglipron. In the Phase 3 ATTAIN-1 trial targeting adults with obesity, the daily pill demonstrated strong, sustained efficacy, driving a -12.4% weight loss at 72 weeks at the maximum dose. In the parallel ATTAIN-2 trial, orforglipron showed impressive dual efficacy in a historically harder-to-treat diabetic population. It delivered a ‒10.5% weight loss at 72 weeks, closely mirrored by a substantial -1.82% drop in HbA1c recorded at the 40-week milestone.
AstraZeneca emerged as a primary challenger in the oral small-molecule sector, showcasing mid-to-late stage data from its elecoglipron clinical program. The Phase 2b VISTA trial tracking pure obesity demonstrated a highly competitive profile, pushing out to a -11.8% weight reduction at 36 weeks without showing an immediate plateau. The parallel Phase 2b SOLSTICE trial underscored the molecule’s glycemic potency. Elecoglipron achieved a powerful -1.9% reduction in HbA1c at 26 weeks, enabling an impressive 90% of enrolled patients to reach the ADA’s target threshold of < 7.0%.
Two China-based biotechs discussed presented data for their oral GLP-1 agonists. Innovent turned heads with a striking Phase 1 multiple ascending dose readout. In a pure obesity cohort, IBI3032 triggered a rapid -10.11% body weight reduction in just 4 weeks. This double-digit drop in a single month suggests an exceptionally potent kinetic and bioavailable profile. Ascletis rounded out the oral landscape by presenting Phase 2 data for ASC30. In its obesity cohort, the asset demonstrated a steady, linear therapeutic trajectory, delivering a -7.7% weight loss at 13 weeks at the maximum dose tested.
Getting Up to Speed on Obesity?
Check out my two-part Frontiers in Medicine series here:
Obesity, Part 1
Societal perception, recognition as a disease, and the discovery of its hormonal & genetic drivers
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