STAT+: Eli Lilly to allow more patients to apply for special access to unapproved obesity drug
Doctors are asking how to get retatrutide for their patients, after Eli Lilly gave one man early access.
Six weeks after STAT initially reported that Eli Lilly granted special access to unapproved obesity drug retatrutide to a single 79-year-old patient, the pharmaceutical giant announced on Monday that it would allow other patients to apply for early access as well. The revelation came after STAT reached out to Lilly regarding requests for expanded access from a few doctors who had not yet received a response from the company.
This marks a significant shift in the public stance of Eli Lilly, which had previously provided minimal information about its special access program. According to a Lilly spokesperson, "For a limited number of patients who meet specific medical criteria and cannot enroll in a clinical trial, we believe it is medically appropriate to make authentic retatrutide available before FDA approval, consistent with FDA’s guidance."
The company stated that it is currently reviewing requests submitted by healthcare providers. For the full story, continue to STAT+.
Written by urgent.news from STAT News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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