The thing is, retatrutide is currently in phase 3 clinical trials and is not yet FDA approved. And doctors caution that there\u2019s more research to be done before it gets the green light. <\/p>\n
Discover what we know about reta so far, when it might be available, and more. <\/p>\n
What is retatrutide?<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are excited about it because it\u2019s a triple agonist,\u201d says Jyotsna Ghosh<\/a>, M.D., an obesity medicine physician at Johns Hopkins Medicine. In addition to GLP-1 and GIP, reta activates glucagon, a hormone that is mostly found in pancreatic endocrine cells, according to a review<\/a> of the current research on retatrutide published in Molecules this year. <\/p>\n \u201cThe cool thing about glucagon, it’s basically making the liver break down glycogen, [which is] stored sugar,\u201d Dr. Ghosh explains. \u201cThat has the potential to not only increase how much energy you’re putting out from your body, but [it] also deplete some of those stores.\u201d In other words, it may help you burn more calories in some cases both from the activity you do, and simply while at rest. One of the reasons this is exciting is that resting metabolism often decreases after successful weight loss, making it harder for people to keep the weight off, Dr. Ghosh says. Reta could help mitigate that physiologic change, she says, but emphasizes that more research is needed to confirm this. <\/p>\n Triple agonist, more benefits?<\/p>\n Early studies suggest that indeed, retatrutide could help people lose more weight than semaglutide and tirzepatide. A phase 2 clinical trial<\/a> published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2023, found that people with obesity who took a 12-milligram dose for 48 weeks saw a mean weight reduction of 24.2 percent. <\/p>\n Research has also shown that the average weight loss of someone on semaglutide<\/a> is about 15 percent, Dr. Mehal says; people on tirzepatide come in<\/a> at an average around 20 percent. Caroline M. Apovian<\/a>, M.D., co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, points out that it\u2019s tough to compare these trials because they may have differences like how long the subjects are on the drugs. But, if it proves out in the ongoing studies, that would be pretty major, Dr. Mehal says. To put it in context, for somebody whose ideal healthy bodyweight is 170 but is starting out at 260, they would, in theory, get down to 221 on semaglutide, 208 on tirzepatide, and 197 on retatrutide, a faster pace of weight loss. <\/p>\n Because of this, it makes sense that this drug may be recommended more specifically to those who have more weight to lose. But it may be more widely adopted than that, Dr. Mehal says. \u201cI think clinically what’s going to happen is that everybody is going to reach for retatrutide even if somebody doesn’t need to lose as much weight,\u201d he says. \u201cJust because you have a more effective drug doesn’t mean you have to use it at full dose, so you could use retatrutide in somebody who doesn’t weigh as much but then just stop at a lower dose.\u201d <\/p>\n Retatrutide is also being studied for its potential to reduce the risk of other conditions associated with obesity, such as liver disease and cardiovascular disease, Dr. Ghosh says, adding that the data so far is promising and could make it more likely that insurance companies will cover the drug.<\/p>\n Currently, there\u2019s chatter in some weight lifting circles that reta is more muscle-sparing than semaglutide or tirzepetide, but research<\/a> shows that the ratio is essentially the same as you’d get with tirzepatide or semaglutide. \u201cThere is no reason to believe that any of the GLP-1 type drugs have any differences in muscle loss\/sparing,\u201d says Dr. Mehal. So while overall muscle loss might be more, that’d just be because overall weight loss was more. That said, there is a new drug<\/a> on the horizon that may actually make these weight loss medications more muscle-sparing. \u201cData on bimagrumab is limited to a small number of patients but when added to [semaglutide] it can reduce muscle loss from about 20% of total body weight loss to about 5%,\u201d Dr. Mehal says, though more research is needed.<\/p>\n What are the downsides and risks of retatrutide?<\/p>\n If there’s the potential for extra benefits, is there the potential for extra risks with reta too? <\/p>\n Probably not, Dr. Mehal says.<\/p>\n According to the research<\/a> that\u2019s been done so far, its side effect profile is better than semaglutide, but perhaps equivalent to tirzepatide, he says, with the most common side effects being nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Dr. Apovian adds that all three drugs may also increase your heart rate. <\/p>\n There\u2019s also the risk of losing more of your hard-earned muscle. While muscle loss happens to some degree with all three peptides (and with any weight loss method), it could become even more severe if your overall weight lossis greater with retatrutide.<\/p>\n Regular strength training and ensuring that you\u2019re eating enough protein<\/a> can help mitigate muscle loss, Dr. Ghosh says, but it\u2019s also important to work with a qualified doctor when using any of these drugs\u2014doing so not only makes it more safe, but also increases the likelihood that you\u2019ll be successful with your weight loss. <\/p>\n When will retatrutide be available?<\/p>\n Dr. Mehal says it will be at least a year (in the fall of 2026) before it starts landing in patients\u2019 hands. Right now, retatrutide, a once-weekly injection, is in phase three trials, Dr. Ghosh says, and then it will be submitted to the FDA for approval. \u201cThat’s a very rigorous process that often takes a while,\u201d she says. \u201cIf things go very well, it might be approved for obesity in mid-2026, but it might take a little bit longer for it to be approved for cardiovascular risk reduction.\u201d<\/p>\n Beware Grey Market Dupes<\/p>\n If you just re-read the above\u2014that reta won\u2019t be available for a while\u2014and are scratching your head because you have a friend who says they\u2019re taking it or you\u2019ve seen ads online for it, keep in mind that they\u2019re not getting an approved drug at a pharmacy. Before you start searching around for it, the doctors want you to know a few things. <\/p>\n First and foremost, remember that reta is not yet FDA approved. \u201cUntil the FDA approves it, we can’t even call it a drug because up to that point it’s just a chemical,\u201d adding that people should definitely steer clear of grey market iterations because it\u2019s possible that retatrutide could have more serious side effects than what\u2019s been seen so far. It\u2019s unlikely, but \u201csay retatrutide ends up causing brain cancer or something,\u201d Dr. Mehal says. “My opinion is that playing poker and dabbling in cryto seems fine, but taking the same attitude towards your health by injecting peptides of unclear governance is not fine.”<\/p>\n Dr. Ghosh points out that because it\u2019s not FDA approved, current buyers can\u2019t really know what they\u2019re actually getting, which is risky. She hypothesizes that the current iterations are based on the research chemical, and it\u2019s unclear how these sellers are getting samples and synthesizing it. <\/p>\n You might know a guy\u2014or be the guy\u2014who got compounded semaglutide instead of the branded stuff from an online retailer. The most common danger people ran into was that they paid $500 for something and it just didn’t work, Dr. Mehal says. But taking something (e.g. reta) that’s not even a drug yet is a whole different level of risk, he says. <\/p>\n For now, the doctors say that if you\u2019re interested in trying a weight loss medication, your best bet is to talk to your doctor about the FDA-approved options currently available. As Dr. Apovian points out, there\u2019s \u201cnothing shabby\u201d about the kind of weight loss you get with semaglutide and tirzepatide. <\/p>\n Related Stories Caitlin is a health and fitness journalist based in New York City. She writes for publications including The Wall Street Journal and Runner\u2019s World. She’s completed 12 marathons, including the six World Marathon Majors, is semi-fluent in French, and volunteers as a greeter on The High Line. Follow her on Instagram<\/a> or LinkedIn<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Lettermark\"](\"https:\/\/www.menshealth.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/menshealth\/static\/images\/logos\/lettermark.70e252c.svg?primary=%2523000\")
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