Eli Lilly’s Experimental Weight-Loss Drug Shows Promising Results
Two new studies on the experimental drug retatrutide show it helps overweight people lose weight, whether or not they have diabetes.
Two recent studies published in the Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine have shown promising weight-loss results from Eli Lilly's experimental drug retatrutide. In the Lancet study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, people with Type 2 diabetes who took the highest dose of retatrutide lost an average of 18.8% of their starting body weight, while those on a placebo lost only 5.1%.
About a third of participants on the highest dose lost at least 25% of their body weight, compared to 3% of the placebo group over the 1.5-year study period. Dr. Juan Pablo Frias, a study author, noted that retatrutide is the most potent drug currently available, showing the greatest percent weight loss in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Those taking the highest dose also experienced significant improvement in diabetes control, with 63% of participants lowering their A1C to below 6.5% and losing at least 10% of their body weight. In the New England Journal of Medicine study, people without diabetes who took the highest dose lost about 25% of their starting body weight, while 3.9% of the placebo group lost the same amount.
Retatrutide targets three weight-related hormones - GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon - which may explain its more potent effects on weight loss in people with diabetes compared to drugs targeting GLP-1 alone. Side effects among retatrutide users were similar to those seen with other GLP-1 medications, including gastrointestinal issues like abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Eli Lilly plans to submit a request to the FDA in early 2027 to approve retatrutide based on these study results.
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