Roche's Building 1 in Basel. Roche is the company running the enicepatide trial
Fred RomeroCC BY 2.0
Illustrative. Roche's headquarters building, not a trial site, and not the enicepatide drug or its pen.
Roche's New GLP1 Shot Enicepatide Just Posted 15.5% Weight Loss in a Real Trial
Every few months another company announces a new GLP1 or GIP drug with numbers that sound like they are chasing Ozempic and Zepbound off their own turf. This week it was Roche's turn, and the numbers are genuinely competitive, though the fine print matters more than the headline.
- Roche announced Phase 2 results for enicepatide, a once weekly GLP1 and GIP drug, on September 22, 2026.
- At the highest dose, patients in the 447 person trial lost a mean 15.5% of body weight at 48 weeks, with no sign of plateauing.
- 90% of patients reached an HbA1c of 6.5% or below, and 62% reached a normal blood sugar reading under 5.7%.
- This is a single company reported Phase 2 readout, not yet peer reviewed or independently replicated, and trade press has already called it a possible "me too" behind Lilly's and Pfizer's competing drugs.
The trial and what it found
On September 22, 2026, Roche announced Phase 2 results for enicepatide, a once weekly drug that activates both the GLP1 and GIP receptors, the same dual mechanism behind Eli Lilly's tirzepatide. Roche picked up enicepatide through its acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics, and it is now being tested in adults who have type 2 diabetes along with overweight or obesity.
The trial, called CT388104, randomized 447 adults to once weekly enicepatide or placebo for 48 weeks in a double blind design. At the top 24 milligram dose, patients lost a mean 15.5% of body weight at 48 weeks, and Roche says the curve was still trending downward with no plateau. On the diabetes side, mean HbA1c dropped 2.65 percentage points from a starting point of 8.1%, rising to a 4.13 point drop in patients who started with the poorest control. Ninety percent of patients reached an HbA1c of 6.5% or below, and 62% reached a genuinely normal blood sugar reading under 5.7%.
Side effects looked broadly in line with existing GLP1 and GIP drugs, mostly mild to moderate stomach and digestive symptoms, and only 2.0% of patients on enicepatide stopped the trial for side effects, versus 0% on placebo. Roche is now moving enicepatide into two Phase 3 weight management trials, called ENITH1 and ENITH2, with Phase 3 studies for blood sugar control and heart outcomes planned for the first half of 2027.
Where this actually sits in a crowded field
Enicepatide is entering a field that already has Lilly's tirzepatide, sold as Zepbound and Mounjaro, and retatrutide moving through the pipeline, along with Pfizer's berobenatide. Trade press covering the same conference session where this data appeared has already framed enicepatide as a possible "me too" option relative to those competitors, meaning it may be catching up rather than leading, even with numbers this strong. The 15.5% figure is also specifically the top dose result. Lower doses in the same trial posted weaker numbers, and the headline coverage has clustered around the best one.
Honest caveat
This is a single company reported Phase 2 readout. It has not been published in a peer reviewed journal and has not been independently replicated, and Roche has an obvious financial interest in the results looking strong. No safety red flags or contradicting data turned up in the sources checked for this brief, but the trial has not yet been presented anywhere with full statistical detail beyond Roche's own release. The honest read is promising, not proven.
What this means for you
If you are already tracking the GLP1 and GIP drug race for yourself or a family member, enicepatide is worth adding to the list of names to watch rather than acting on today. The numbers are real and competitive, but they come from the company that stands to benefit from them looking good, and the drug is still years from approval. The more useful habit here, honestly, is the skeptical read itself: strong company issued numbers from the highest dose arm of a single trial are a good reason for interest, not yet a good reason for a decision.
Primary sources
- Roche: "Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR, Roche announces positive Phase II results for dual GLP1/GIP receptor agonist enicepatide," September 22, 2026
- BioPharma Dive: "ADA '26: Lilly's dominance, Pfizer's 'foundational' drug and Roche's 'me too' option"
- Bloomberg: "Roche Obesity Shot Cuts Body Weight 15.5% in Mid Stage Trial"
Common questions
What is enicepatide and how is it different from Ozempic or Zepbound?
Enicepatide is Roche's once weekly drug that activates both the GLP1 and GIP receptors, the same dual mechanism as Lilly's tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro), rather than the single GLP1 mechanism behind semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy). Roche picked it up through its 2026 acquisition of Carmot Therapeutics.
Is 15.5% weight loss better than existing GLP1 drugs?
It is competitive with, though not head to head tested against, the weight loss range reported for tirzepatide and retatrutide. The 15.5% figure is from the highest dose arm of a single Phase 2 trial, not an independent comparison, so calling it better than an approved drug reads more into one company's numbers than they can currently support.
When could enicepatide actually be available?
Roche is only now starting two Phase 3 weight management trials, called ENITH1 and ENITH2, with Phase 3 blood sugar and heart outcome studies planned for the first half of 2027. Realistically that puts any approval years away, and Phase 3 trials sometimes fail to repeat Phase 2 results.
Stay Curious.
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