EASD 2026 in Milan sets up the next round of competitor data
Major obesity drug data from Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca and others is expected at the EASD meeting in Milan from September 28 to October 2, offering an early look at what may reach US patients next.
The 62nd annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) runs September 28 through October 2 in Milan [1][2], and the agenda is stacked with early- and mid-stage results from the obesity drugs lining up behind semaglutide and tirzepatide. None of the data being presented changes what is on pharmacy shelves today, but it shapes which experimental drugs move into large Phase 3 trials — the step that eventually leads to FDA filings.
What is expected in Milan
According to a widely shared preview of the program from a nutrition and obesity researcher posting as Jen Can NuSH, September 30 is the busiest day [1]. That is when Eli Lilly is expected to present Phase 2 data for eloralintide, an amylin drug, given in combination with tirzepatide, the molecule sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound [1]. The same day is slated for TRIUMPH-2, a trial of Lilly's retatrutide in people who have both obesity and type 2 diabetes, and for Phase 2 results on UBT251 in separate obesity and type 2 diabetes studies [1].
On October 1, primary results from SYNCHRONIZE-2 are expected for Boehringer Ingelheim's survodutide in obesity with type 2 diabetes, presented by Dr. Sean Wharton [1].
AstraZeneca is also expected to present data at EASD on AZD6234, a selective amylin receptor peptide agonist, according to an analysis by investment bank William Blair summarized by BioSpace [2]. That report says AstraZeneca has a Phase 2 trial of AZD6234 in people with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes who are already on stable GLP-1 therapy, plus a Phase 2b study called ASCEND testing the GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist AZD9550 together with AZD6234 in obesity [2].
Separately, Roche has scheduled a Pharma Day on September 28, the same day EASD opens [2]. William Blair expects that event to cover results from a Phase 2 trial of enicepatide in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes, a study with a listed completion date of September 24 [2]. Roche previously reported that enicepatide produced 22.5% weight loss after nearly a year of treatment in a different Phase 2 study in obesity [2]. Roche is also expected to give updates on the oral drug CT-996 and on petrelintide, a once-weekly injectable amylin drug partnered with Zealand Pharma [2].
The summary circulating about this meeting also references additional results for Hengrui's ribupatide; the sources available here do not describe that presentation, so its content and timing are not yet known.
Why it matters for patients
Almost everything on this list is a combination or a new mechanism, not another standalone GLP-1. Amylin drugs such as eloralintide, AZD6234 and petrelintide are being tested both alone and layered on top of existing GLP-1 treatment, which speaks to a practical question many people already face: what to do when weight loss stalls or side effects limit the dose.
The backdrop is a market that is still expanding fast. Obesity therapeutics reached $66 billion in sales last year and IQVIA projects $105 billion to $200 billion by 2027 and beyond [2]. In the US, a temporary Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program that began in July is estimated by William Blair to expand coverage by about 35% and reach roughly 20 million potential patients [2]. Novo Nordisk's oral Wegovy held about 90% of weekly oral prescriptions as of July, or about 1.5 million people, many of them new to GLP-1s [2].
Still, conference data is early data. Phase 2 results are usually small, short and not designed to prove long-term safety or cardiovascular benefit. Several of these programs are years from any US approval decision.
What happens next
September 28: Roche Pharma Day; EASD opens in Milan [1][2]. September 30: eloralintide plus tirzepatide, TRIUMPH-2 and UBT251 presentations [1]. October 1: SYNCHRONIZE-2 survodutide primary data [1]. October 2: meeting closes [1][2].
Beyond Milan, a regulatory decision on Novo Nordisk's CagriSema — cagrilintide plus semaglutide — is expected in the fourth quarter [2], and Lilly plans a regulatory submission for retatrutide in obesity and overweight in early 2027 [2]. Oral arguments in Lilly v. Kennedy, over whether retatrutide is classified as a drug or a biologic, are also underway this month [1].
Sources
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