Eli Lilly’s New Dulaglutide Study Targets Real-World Safety Questions for GLP-1 Investors

Eli Lilly And Company (LLY) announced an update on their ongoing clinical study.

Study Overview

Eli Lilly and Company is running a study called “A Study to Evaluate the Effect of Fasting Duration and Temporary Withholding of Dulaglutide on Retained Gastric Contents Using Gastric Ultrasound in Participants With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.” The goal is to understand how different fasting times and pausing dulaglutide affect how much food and liquid stay in the stomach after a meal. This matters for patient safety, especially around medical procedures that require an empty stomach, and could shape future guidance on how to manage GLP-1 drugs before surgery or tests.

Intervention/Treatment

The trial tests dulaglutide, a once-weekly injectable drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. Participants receive dulaglutide by subcutaneous injection and then consume either a solid or liquid test meal. The study tracks how stopping the drug for a short period and changing fasting time impact stomach contents, helping clarify how the drug influences digestion and gastric emptying.

Study Design

This is an interventional Phase 1 study with randomized assignment to different test conditions. It uses a sequential model, meaning participants go through defined steps or periods rather than a single fixed treatment. There is no blinding; both researchers and participants know the treatment conditions. The main purpose is basic science: to understand how dulaglutide and fasting interact with stomach emptying, not to test overall effectiveness on blood sugar.

Study Timeline

The study was first submitted on December 18, 2025, indicating when the formal plan was filed. It is currently listed as recruiting, so enrollment is underway but key outcome data are not yet available. The last update was submitted on January 15, 2026, showing that the protocol and status were recently refreshed, which suggests active operational progress. Primary completion and final completion dates are not detailed yet, but the participation period can last about 28 weeks per patient, implying that initial readouts are still some time away.

Market Implications

For investors, this update reinforces Eli Lilly’s push to better understand and manage safety around dulaglutide, a key GLP-1 asset within a fast-growing diabetes and obesity market. While this early-stage study will not directly boost revenue, it may reduce future safety uncertainty, especially around surgical and procedural risk linked to delayed stomach emptying. Clear data could support more precise pre-procedure guidance instead of broad, restrictive measures that might limit GLP-1 use. This could modestly improve confidence in the long-term durability of the GLP-1 class. Competitors such as Novo Nordisk face similar questions with their own GLP-1 products, so Lilly’s proactive data generation may be viewed positively by the market as risk management rather than a new risk signal. In the near term, sentiment impact is likely neutral to slightly positive, with greater influence possible once results clarify real-world practice implications.

The study is ongoing and recently updated, with further details available on the ClinicalTrials.gov portal.

To learn more about LLY’s potential, visit the Eli Lilly And Company drug pipeline page.