Eli Lilly’s next-generation obesity drug retatrutide clears first late-stage diabetes trial

Lilly is betting big on retatrutide as the next pillar of its obesity portfolio after its weight loss injection Zepbound and its upcoming pill, orforglipron.

Eli Lilly’s next-generation obesity drug retatrutide clears first late-stage diabetes trial

TL;DR

  • Retatrutide, Eli Lilly's next-generation obesity drug, successfully completed its first late-stage trial for Type 2 diabetes patients.
  • The drug lowered hemoglobin A1c levels by an average of 1.7% to 2% across different doses at 40 weeks.
  • Patients on the highest dose lost an average of 16.8% of their body weight at 40 weeks.
  • Retatrutide mimics three hunger-regulating hormones: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon.
  • The drug's safety profile showed primarily gastrointestinal side effects, similar to other injectable diabetes and obesity drugs.
  • Eli Lilly expects to report findings from seven additional phase three trials on retatrutide by the end of the year.