‘Godzilla’ of weight-loss drugs could provide other important health benefits — SkimNews
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- Retatrutide mimics three gut hormones — GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon — distinguishing it from Wegovy (GLP-1 only) and Mounjaro (GLP-1 + GIP).
- In an 80-week phase 3 trial of 2,047 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes across eight countries, retatrutide produced average weight loss of 11.9% (4mg), 16.8% (9mg), and 18.8% (12mg), versus 5.1% with placebo.
- Among those on the 12mg dose, 47% lost at least 20% of starting body weight and 31% lost at least 25%, compared to 6% and 3% on placebo.
- 72% of retatrutide participants achieved an HbA1c of 6.5% or lower — the threshold for diagnosing type 2 diabetes — versus 29% on placebo.
- Retatrutide also improved cardiometabolic risk factors including blood pressure, lipid profiles, and the inflammation marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).
- Common side effects were gastrointestinal — diarrhea in 27–34% of retatrutide groups versus 13% on placebo, and nausea in 14–28% versus 8% — while seven deaths during the trial were deemed unrelated to the drug.
- The trial was funded by maker Eli Lilly; results were published in The Lancet and presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Milan, though retatrutide remains unapproved by any regulatory agency.
Why it matters: Retatrutide engages a third gut hormone (glucagon) that Wegovy and Mounjaro don't, delivering average weight loss roughly four times the placebo group's while simultaneously cutting blood sugar, blood pressure, lipid, and inflammation markers in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. If Eli Lilly secures regulatory approval, a single weekly injection could address multiple cardiometabolic conditions at once.
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