Lilly’s three-pronged drug puts obesity field ‘on notice’ | BioPharma Dive
Eli Lilly has just delivered some truly eye-opening results from a late-stage trial of its next-generation obesity drug, retatrutide—and it’s already being called the most powerful weight-loss treatment seen so far.
In the study, patients taking the highest dose of retatrutide lost an average of 23.7% of their body weight over 68 weeks, even when including those who stopped the treatment early. For those who stayed on the medication, weight loss jumped to an impressive 28.7%. Some patients shed so much weight that they actually chose to drop out of the trial.
Doctors are calling the results remarkable. Dr. Caroline Apovian of Brigham and Women’s Hospital noted that this drug is showing weight loss that can rival bariatric surgery—something unheard of for a weekly injection.
Eli Lilly appears to be positioning the drug for people with severe obesity, especially since 84% of the trial participants had a BMI above 35 or 40. After the news broke, Lilly’s stock price climbed more than 3%.
What Makes Retatrutide Different?
Retatrutide is nicknamed the “triple G” drug because it mimics three key hormones that control hunger—GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon. That’s more than any current weight-loss medication, giving it a stronger impact on appetite and fullness.
The drug is also important for Eli Lilly’s strategy to stay ahead of its biggest competitor, Novo Nordisk, in the booming global market for obesity and diabetes treatments—an industry expected to hit $100 billion by the 2030s.
Big Bonus: Major Reduction in Knee Arthritis Pain
The trial didn’t just measure weight loss. It also evaluated how retatrutide affects knee osteoarthritis, a painful condition caused by cartilage breakdown.
Results were very encouraging:
- Knee pain dropped by up to 62.6% on average
- More than 1 in 8 patients ended the study completely pain-free
For many with severe obesity, improving joint pain is just as important as losing weight—and this drug seems to support both.
Side Effects and Tolerability
Like other weight-loss drugs, retatrutide isn’t without side effects. In the highest-dose group:
- 43% had nausea
- 33% experienced diarrhea
- 21% had vomiting
- A little over 20% experienced mild nerve sensations (dysesthesia)
Around 18% of high-dose participants stopped treatment, often due to rapid weight loss or starting from a very high BMI. However, dropouts were similar to the rates seen with other drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy.
What’s Next?
This trial, called TRIUMPH-4, was not focused solely on weight loss, so future studies could show even stronger results. Eli Lilly plans to release data from seven more phase-three trials by the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk is racing to catch up, recently investing up to $2 billion in a competitor drug that also uses a triple-hormone approach. But that medication is much earlier in development, giving Lilly a clear lead for now.
Retatrutide is shaping up to be one of the most promising obesity treatments ever tested—offering deep weight loss, improved mobility, and real hope for people struggling with severe obesity and knee pain.
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