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Metabolic & weight

Dulaglutide

Also called Trulicity, LY2189265

Dulaglutide (brand name Trulicity) is a once-weekly GLP-1 medicine for type 2 diabetes. It is approved to lower blood sugar in adults and children 10 and older, and to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart-related death in adults with type 2 diabetes who have heart disease or several heart risk factors. It is not approved as a weight-loss drug.

FDA-approvedApproved by the FDA for at least one use after large human trials.

New · under editorial review. Added October 29, 2026 by our automated research, with every claim sourced. A person has not checked this page yet; treat it with extra care. How we research

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Overview

Dulaglutide (brand name Trulicity) is a once-weekly GLP-1 medicine for type 2 diabetes. It is approved to lower blood sugar in adults and children 10 and older, and to lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart-related death in adults with type 2 diabetes who have heart disease or several heart risk factors. It is not approved as a weight-loss drug.

How it works

Established: dulaglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor. This raises insulin release when blood sugar is high, lowers glucagon and slows stomach emptying 1. Attaching the GLP-1 analog to a large antibody fragment slows its clearance, giving a half-life of about 5 days and allowing once-weekly injections 1.

What research shows

  • REWIND (human RCT, n=9,901 adults with type 2 diabetes, median 5.4 years): heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death occurred in 12.0% on dulaglutide 1.5 mg vs 13.4% on placebo (hazard ratio 0.88). Only 31.5% of participants had established heart disease 38.
  • Dose-comparison trial (human RCT, n=1,842, 36 weeks, added to metformin): HbA1c fell by 1.5, 1.6 and 1.8 points and body weight by 3.0, 3.8 and 4.6 kg on 1.5, 3 and 4.5 mg weekly 1.
  • Earlier label trials (human RCTs): HbA1c fell 0.7–0.8 points vs 0.6 with metformin as first treatment (26 weeks), and 0.9–1.1 points vs 0.4 with sitagliptin as add-on to metformin (52 weeks) 1.
  • AWARD-PEDS (human RCT, n=154 aged 10–17, 26 weeks): in the label's analysis, 52% of youths on dulaglutide (both doses pooled) reached HbA1c below 7% vs 14% on placebo 8; Lilly's efficacy analysis reported 56.5% vs 18.4%. BMI did not differ significantly from placebo 4.

Doses studied in people

Study or labelDose usedSource
FDA label (adults, type 2 diabetes)Starts at 0.75 mg once weekly, subcutaneous; may be raised to 1.5 mg after 4 weeks, then in 1.5 mg steps every 4+ weeks up to 4.5 mg once weekly1
FDA label (children 10 and older)0.75 mg once weekly, may be raised to a maximum of 1.5 mg once weekly after at least 4 weeks1
REWIND cardiovascular outcomes trial (n=9,901)1.5 mg once weekly, subcutaneous, vs placebo3
Dose-comparison trial (n=1,842, 36 weeks)1.5 mg, 3 mg or 4.5 mg once weekly, subcutaneous1

Doses shown are from the FDA label and published trials only; they are reported, not recommended.

Read this first: these are the amounts given to participants in published studies or written on official prescribing labels, reported for reference. They are not recommendations. Trial doses were chosen for specific patients under medical supervision, and a dose that is safe in one person can be harmful in another.

Safety

  • Boxed warning (label): thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents; human relevance not known. Not for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2 1.
  • Most common side effects (label, 1.5 mg vs placebo): nausea 21.1% vs 5.3%, diarrhea 12.6% vs 6.7%, vomiting 12.7% vs 2.3%, belly pain and decreased appetite 1.
  • Label warnings: pancreatitis, low blood sugar when combined with insulin or sulfonylureas, allergic reactions, kidney injury from dehydration, severe stomach side effects, diabetic eye complications, gallbladder disease and aspiration during anesthesia or deep sedation 1.
  • In children, the safety profile was similar to adults, except that injection-site reactions were reported more often (about 4% on dulaglutide vs 2% on placebo) 18.

Report side effects of any drug or product to the FDA through MedWatch. For a possible poisoning in the US, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

History

Developed by Eli Lilly. The FDA first approved Trulicity for type 2 diabetes on September 18, 2014 2. On February 21, 2020 it was approved to reduce major cardiovascular events, based on the REWIND trial 23. Higher doses (3 mg and 4.5 mg) were approved on September 3, 2020 7, and use in children 10 and older was approved on November 17, 2022 5.

Common questions

Is dulaglutide FDA-approved?

Yes. It is approved as Trulicity for type 2 diabetes in adults (2014) and children 10 and older (2022), and to lower cardiovascular risk in adults with type 2 diabetes (2020) 125.

Is dulaglutide a weight-loss drug?

No. It is approved only for type 2 diabetes. People in trials did lose some weight, about 3 to 4.6 kg over 36 weeks depending on dose 1.

Does it protect the heart?

In the REWIND trial of 9,901 adults, heart attack, stroke or heart-related death was 12% lower in relative terms on dulaglutide than on placebo (12.0% vs 13.4% of people) 3.

What doses are on the label?

For adults the label starts at 0.75 mg once a week and allows step-ups to a maximum of 4.5 mg weekly; for children the maximum is 1.5 mg weekly 1.

What are the side effects?

Nausea, diarrhea and vomiting are the most common 1. The label carries a boxed warning about thyroid tumors seen in rodents and warns about pancreatitis and gallbladder disease 1.

Is dulaglutide banned in sport?

No. WADA has kept GLP-1 drugs off its Prohibited List for 2027 while it studies them further 6.

Related compounds

Metabolic & weightFDA-approvedFlashcard

Semaglutide

Wegovy · Ozempic

Semaglutide is a long-acting copy of the gut hormone GLP-1.

Metabolic & weightFDA-approvedFlashcard

Liraglutide

Saxenda · Victoza

Liraglutide is an older, once-daily GLP-1 medicine.

Metabolic & weightFDA-approvedFlashcard

Exenatide

exendin-4 (synthetic) · Byetta

Exenatide was the first GLP-1 drug, a lab-made copy of a peptide found in Gila monster venom.

Metabolic & weightFDA-approvedFlashcard

Tirzepatide

Zepbound · Mounjaro

Tirzepatide is a weekly shot that acts on two gut-hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1, at once.

Metabolic & weightFDA-approvedFlashcard

Insulin (human insulin and analogs)

regular human insulin · Humulin R

Insulin is the hormone the pancreas makes to move sugar from the blood into the body's cells.

Sources

  1. Trulicity (dulaglutide) Prescribing Information, revised 3/2026 (FDA) FDA label
  2. Trulicity FDA Approval History (Drugs.com) Regulatory
  3. Gerstein HC et al. Dulaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (REWIND). Lancet 2019 (PMID 31189511) Journal
  4. Eli Lilly press release: AWARD-PEDS trial of Trulicity in youth with type 2 diabetes (June 4, 2022; results also published in N Engl J Med) Regulatory
  5. OptumRx clinical update: FDA approves expanded indication for Trulicity in pediatric patients (Nov 17, 2022) Regulatory
  6. WADA publishes 2027 Prohibited List (World Rugby summary) Regulatory
  7. Eli Lilly press release: FDA approves additional doses of Trulicity (3.0 mg and 4.5 mg) (Sept 3, 2020) Regulatory
  8. Trulicity (dulaglutide) Prescribing Information, sections 6.1, 14.5 and 14.6 (DrugCentral copy of FDA label) FDA label

Last reviewed 2026-10-29 · How we research · Found an error? See our corrections policy.