New obesity drug delivers 30% weight loss in human trials
What's the story
A late-stage clinical trial has shown that retatrutide, a next-generation obesity drug, is highly effective in helping patients lose weight. The study found that participants on the highest dose of retatrutide lost an average of 25% of their body weight over 80 weeks. The loss was even more pronounced during an extended period, with an average reduction of 30% after 104 weeks.
Additional benefits
Drug effective in treating other obesity-related conditions
The trial also highlighted the drug's potential in treating other obesity-related conditions.
In participants with obesity-linked knee osteoarthritis, retatrutide reduced knee pain by up to 62%.
It also cut down sleep apnea events per hour by up to 57% in those suffering from obesity-linked obstructive sleep apnea.
The drug improved cardiometabolic measurements like blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels (LDL cholesterol).
Trial specifics
Trial involved over 2,300 participants across 11 countries
The trial, which started in 2023, included 2,339 participants from 131 clinical trial sites across 11 countries.
The average starting weight of participants was around 113kg with a body mass index (BMI) of 40.
Notably, over a third of the participants had prediabetes at the start of the study but by its end, more than 90% had recovered from it.
Drug development
Retatrutide developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly
Retatrutide is being developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, which also makes tirzepatide, a dual-acting obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment.
The drug works by adding glucagon to the combination of GLP-1 and GIP hormones that help regulate blood sugar levels, satiety, food intake, and metabolic factors.