A phase 3 clinical trial for a new weight-loss drug funded by Eli Lilly found that using retatrutide "resulted in significant weight reduction," as well as other improvements among participants. The findings, published September 29 in the National Library of Medicine, come as demand for anti-obesity medications continues to grow and drugmakers race to expand treatment options beyond existing GLP-1 therapies such as Wegovy and Ozempic. Interest in next-generation treatments like retatrutide has increased as researchers investigate whether they can produce even greater weight loss while addressing obesity-related conditions including sleep apnea and osteoarthritis.
"This is another future tool in the tool belt in managing obesity with impressive results," Dr. Brian Wojeck, a Yale Medicine endocrinologist and assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, told Newsweek on Wednesday. "We will continue to get different tools to treat this important patient population.
This is just the beginning." Retatrutide is a weight-loss drug that targets three hormone receptors instead of the hormone, GLP-1, that is targeted with popular brands such as Wegovy and Ozempic. Whereas drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic mimic the GLP-1 hormone to help people feel full for longer and therefore eat less, retatrutide targets the hormones GIP and glucagon in addition to GLP-1. Researchers believe that the added glucagon activity may help increase energy expenditure and fat burning, which could contribute to the larger weight loss seen in clinical trials.
In the Eli Lilly clinical trial, retatrutide was administered by injection. GLP-1 drugs also can be administered by injection, and tablets taken once daily are also available from Wegovy. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first GLP-1 pill late last year.
The Eli Lilly clinical trial studied 2,339 adults with obesity who did not have diabetes over 18 months. Some of the participants also had knee osteoarthritis and obstructive sleep apnea. Trial participants were randomly assigned to receive either a 4-milligram dose of retatrutide, a 9-milligram dose, a 12-milligram dose or a placebo.
Researchers found "significant weight loss" among the participants who took the retatrutide dose. The average change in body weight in the retatrutide groups was a 17.6 percent reduction for those in the 4-milligram dose group, 23.7 percent in body weight for the 9-milligram dose and 25 percent for the 12-milligram dose. Participants who took the placebo had a 3.9 percent reduction in body weight.
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