This triple-action jab can lower your blood sugar and weight
What's the story
A new triple-action jab for type 2 diabetes has shown promising results in a phase 3 trial. The study, published in the Lancet, found that patients receiving weekly retatrutide injections for 40 weeks lost over four times as much weight as those on placebo. The average drop in long-term blood sugar (HbA1c) was also more than double that of the placebo group.
Innovative treatment
How is retatrutide different from other diabetes medications?
Retatrutide, a triple hormone drug, mimics three gut hormones that regulate appetite, blood sugar, and metabolism: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. Unlike other diabetes medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy that mainly target the GLP-1 pathway to suppress appetite or Mounjaro which combines GLP-1 plus GIP for blood-sugar control, retatrutide also activates the glucagon receptor. This unique action helps boost energy expenditure in patients.
Study details
Trial monitored various health markers, side effects
In the trial, 930 adults with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive either retatrutide or placebo. All participants had poorly controlled blood-sugar levels and BMIs of at least 23. The study monitored a range of health markers including blood-sugar levels (HbA1c), weight, cholesterol levels among others while recording any side effects experienced by the participants during the trial period.
Health impact
Participants on retatrutide showed significant improvements
After 40 weeks, participants receiving retatrutide showed an average drop in HbA1c of about 1.7-1.9% points as against 0.8 with the placebo. They also lost an average of about 11.5% to 15.3% of their body weight on retatrutide, compared to just 2.6% with the placebo treatment group. Cholesterol and blood pressure levels also improved for those on this new drug treatment regimen.
Future prospects
Authors call for more research on drug's long-term effects
The authors of the study believe this new triple-action medication could improve health outcomes for some patients, particularly those who may need more aggressive treatment approaches to manage their type 2 diabetes. Further clinical trials are ongoing to fully understand its long-term effects and how it compares with existing treatments available on the NHS.