The American Diabetes Association just unveiled the data everyone is talking about, and the headlines are loud. Eli Lilly’s retatrutide, a triple-hormone injection, dropped A1c by up to 2.0% and produced roughly 16.8% body-weight loss in adults with Type 2 diabetes. Pharma is calling it a breakthrough. Wall Street is calling it a blockbuster. The ADA is calling it the future of care.
What the ADA Actually Showed
At the 2026 ADA Scientific Sessions this week, retatrutide took center stage. The phase 3 data read like a press release fantasy: a 2.0% A1c reduction, double-digit weight loss, and a side-effect profile the presenters described as “manageable.” Drug combinations including cagrilintide paired with semaglutide (the REIMAGINE trials), and orforglipron, an oral GLP-1, also generated buzz. The new 2026 ADA Standards of Care now emphasize cardiovascular and kidney risk reduction alongside blood sugar control, marking a shift away from A1c as the only scoreboard.
For anyone living with Type 2 diabetes, this looks like progress, and it is. The mainstream tools work. GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic and Mounjaro, metformin, insulin — they lower blood sugar, and for some patients they lower it a lot. We are not here to deny that.
The Question Nobody at ADA Asked
Here is the part the press releases skip. A 2.0% A1c drop on a triple-hormone injection is the ceiling, not the floor. If a patient starts at an A1c of 9.0%, the best this “miracle” drug can deliver is roughly 7.0%, which is still diabetic. They will still be on medication. They will still carry the diagnosis. And in most cases, when they stop the drug, the A1c climbs back.
So the real question becomes: is the goal to manage Type 2 diabetes better, or to put it behind you entirely?
What Reversal Actually Looks Like
Remission means something specific. It means an A1c below 6.4%, with every diabetes medication discontinued, sustained over time. At Diabetes Reversal Group, that is the only metric we track. Our patients do not just lower their A1c — they get off the drugs, drop the diagnosis, and rebuild their metabolic health from the inside out.
The system we built — the only patented system in the world designed specifically to reverse Type 2 diabetes (patent granted September 2020) — runs on telemedicine and a mobile app, ships with 240 recipes and 7-day meal plans, and walks each patient through the exact sequence their body needs to heal. The average patient hits reversal in about 4.5 months, with an average completion A1c of 5.4% — a full point below the diabetic threshold, on zero medication.
Two Paths, One Decision
The truth is, both paths deserve to be on the table. GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic, Mounjaro, and the new retatrutide, can be effective tools for blood sugar control. So can metformin and insulin. For patients who need a bridge, those tools have real value.
But if you are Type 2 diabetic and you want more than a better version of sick, the conversation has to start with reversal. It is not a theory. It is not a 10-year-away promise. It is happening right now, for patients just like you, with results that no injectable drug on the market can match.
See What Reversal Looks Like
If you want to see exactly how the system works, watch our free webinar. No pitch, no pressure — just the data, the protocol, and the patients who have already done it. Or call the team and we will walk you through it. The choice is yours, but you deserve to know both paths exist before you pick one.
By:
Dr. Jeffrey Hockings / Co-Founder/CEO / Diabetes Reversal Group
Kristine Burke, MD / Chief Medical Officer / Diabetes Reversal Group