Eli Lilly’s experimental obesity drug, retatrutide, helped participants lose an average of 71.2 pounds and eased knee arthritis pain in a late-stage clinical trial, the company announced.
Some participants reportedly dropped out due to rapid weight loss, highlighting the drug’s potency, Eli Lilly said.
Retatrutide is a triple agonist medication, targeting three gut hormones—GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. By comparison, Eli Lilly’s popular Zepbound and Mounjaro medications, which use tirzepatide, affect only two hormones. Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic, based on semaglutide, target just GLP-1.
In the trial, participants on the highest dose lost an average of 28.7% of their body weight over 68 weeks, not including those who dropped out. More than one in eight participants reported being completely free of knee pain by the study’s end.
Side effects were notable: 43% experienced nausea, and 33% reported diarrhea at the highest dose.
It remains unclear when retatrutide might reach the market.
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