Peptide Graded

Dulaglutide

Does Dulaglutide work?

Yes, in large controlled trials. One trial followed 9,901 people for about 5 years.

AStrong human evidenceFDA approvedas of 2026-10-27

The glucose-lowering use is supported by the AWARD program of randomized trials, of which AWARD-5 (n=1,098, 52 weeks against sitagliptin) is cited here, and the cardiovascular claim by REWIND, a placebo-controlled trial of 9,901 patients followed for a median of 5.4 years. Weight loss with dulaglutide is modest and it has no obesity indication, so that off-label use would grade lower. 123

AWARD-5 randomized 1,098 adults with type 2 diabetes that metformin did not control well. They got dulaglutide at two doses, sitagliptin or placebo. At 52 weeks both dulaglutide doses lowered HbA1c more than sitagliptin. HbA1c is the three-month average blood sugar marker. The drops were 0.9 to 1.1 percentage points versus 0.4 for sitagliptin. Dulaglutide also cut body weight more (about 2.6 to 3.0 kg against 1.5 kg). Nausea affected 17% of patients at the higher trial dose, compared with 5% on sitagliptin. 2

REWIND enrolled 9,901 adults with type 2 diabetes. Only 31.5% had established cardiovascular disease. Researchers followed them for a median of 5.4 years. The combined measure was cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack or non-fatal stroke. It occurred in 12.0% of dulaglutide patients and 13.4% of placebo patients (hazard ratio 0.88, a 12% lower relative risk). Fewer strokes drove most of the result. Dulaglutide was the first GLP-1 drug to show heart benefit in a group that was mostly preventing a first event. 3

Evidence checklist

  • Randomised controlled trial AWARD trials; REWIND placebo-controlled
  • Human study over 100 people REWIND, 9,901 patients
  • More than one research group Several trials; approved indications
  • Clinical outcomes, not surrogate markers REWIND: major cardiovascular events
  • Human safety data beyond case reports Large trials; boxed thyroid warning

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More on Dulaglutide

Citations

  1. FDA 2026: Trulicity (dulaglutide) prescribing information accessdata.fda.gov
  2. Nauck 2014, Diabetes Care: dulaglutide versus sitagliptin after 52 weeks (AWARD-5) doi.org
  3. Gerstein 2019, Lancet: dulaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (REWIND) doi.org
  4. Adly 2026, Diabetologia: dulaglutide versus insulin in adolescents with thalassaemia-induced diabetes (DIADEMA) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the Dulaglutide article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.