Eli Lilly, which makes Zepbound and Mounjaro, just announced phase 3 clinical trial results for its new medication, retatrutide, and it could become the most effective weight loss medication. <\/p>\n
This medication is not yet FDA-approved, but retatrutide is already getting a ton of buzz. So, what\u2019s the deal and how is it different from what\u2019s currently available? Weight loss physicians explain. <\/p>\n
Meet the experts: Mir Ali<\/a>, MD, is the medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. Gitanjali Srivastava<\/a>, MD, is co-director of Vanderbilt Weight Loss Clinics.<\/p>\n What is retatrutide?<\/p>\n Retatrutide is a triple agonist medication, which means that it works on three different hunger-regulating hormone receptors on the body. This is a GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon triple hormone receptor agonist. <\/p>\n To put that into perspective, Ozempic and Wegovy are GLP-1 receptor agonists, while Zepbound and Mounjaro are dual GIP\/GLP-1 receptor agonists. Like these medications, retatrutide is a drug you inject once a week.<\/p>\n Retatrutide is not approved yet by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by the general public. <\/p>\n What did the clinical trial find?<\/p>\n The clinical trial<\/a> followed more than 400 people with obesity and knee osteoarthritis. People who participated in the trial either took a nine milligram or 12 milligram dose of retatrutide once a week for 68 weeks.<\/p>\n Overall, retatrutide lowered weight by up to an average of 28.7 percent (or 71.2 pounds). It also reduced pain by up to an average of 4.5 points (or 75.8 percent). <\/p>\n For comparison, a separate study<\/a> in The New England Journal of Medicine that compared tirzepatide and semaglutide over 72 weeks found people who took tirzepatide lost an average of 50 pounds or about 20.2 percent of their body weight. Participants who took semaglutide lost an average of 33 pounds or 13.7 percent of their body weight.<\/p>\n Related StoriesWhy is this significant?<\/p>\n While there are already great weight loss medications on the market that have given plenty of people success, \u201cit doesn\u2019t hurt to have other alternatives,\u201d says Mir Ali<\/a>, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. <\/p>\n