Updated · Investors | Eli Lilly and Company · Jul 23
Lilly's Retatrutide Cuts Weight by 22.6% in 2 Phase 3 Obesity Trials
Updated
Updated · Investors | Eli Lilly and Company · Jul 23
Lilly's Retatrutide Cuts Weight by 22.6% in 2 Phase 3 Obesity Trials
3 articles · Updated · Investors | Eli Lilly and Company · Jul 23
Summary
At 80 weeks, Lilly said retatrutide helped patients lose up to 55.8 pounds in TRIUMPH-3 and 49.6 pounds in TRIUMPH-2, while lowering A1C by as much as 1.6% in adults with type 2 diabetes.
TRIUMPH-2 enrolled 1,152 adults with obesity or overweight plus diabetes, and all three doses beat placebo on weight loss and glycemic control; placebo patients lost 9.3 pounds and saw A1C fall 0.2%.
TRIUMPH-3 randomized 1,949 adults with severe obesity and established cardiovascular disease, where the top dose also reduced triglycerides 37.0%, systolic blood pressure 9.3 mmHg and waist circumference 7.5 inches.
Cardiovascular event data were inconclusive: pooled retatrutide showed a 0.82 hazard ratio for broader MACE-5 events, but a 1.12 ratio for MACE-3, with event counts lower than expected in both drug and placebo arms.
Gastrointestinal side effects such as diarrhea, nausea and constipation were the most common, and discontinuations due to adverse events reached 13.5%; Lilly said detailed results will be presented at medical meetings and published later.
What are the unknown long-term effects of manipulating three core metabolic hormones with retatrutide's unique mechanism?
How will Lilly's final protocol address the critical risk of muscle loss from retatrutide's extreme weight reduction?
Can its extreme potency overcome higher side effects to secure broad insurance coverage and justify a premium price?
Retatrutide’s Triple-Agonist Breakthrough: Up to 16.8% Weight Loss in Type 2 Diabetes and the Future of Obesity Treatment
Overview
Retatrutide is becoming a major player in obesity and metabolic disease treatment, as shown by the TRANSCEND-T2D-1 phase 3 trial. In this study, patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity who received a 12 mg dose of retatrutide over 40 weeks lost an average of 16.8% of their body weight. The trial also showed clear improvements in hemoglobin A1c, which means better long-term blood sugar control. Importantly, the safety results were consistent with expected gastrointestinal side effects, similar to those seen in non-diabetic patients, suggesting retatrutide could be widely used for people needing both weight loss and diabetes management.