People with Type 2 diabetes lost up to 60 pounds on Lilly’s latest weight loss drug
NBC News • • business
Key Points:
- Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 drug retatrutide enabled people with Type 2 diabetes to lose up to 60 pounds, or 23% of their body weight, marking the greatest weight loss recorded in a diabetes drug trial.
- Retatrutide is a “triple agonist” that mimics three hormones, including GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon, differentiating it from other drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide, which target fewer hormones.
- The drug also showed benefits in lowering blood sugar (A1C levels) significantly, with up to 40% of patients reaching non-diabetic A1C levels, suggesting potential diabetes remission.
- Side effects were generally mild to moderate and similar to other GLP-1 drugs, including nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and vomiting, with a slightly higher discontinuation rate at the highest dose.
- Lilly plans to file for FDA approval early next year, while unauthorized versions of retatrutide are already being sold illegally, prompting lawsuits from the company.
