Retatrutide

Summary

Retatrutide is an investigational triple-hormone-receptor agonist acting on the GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptors, under development for obesity and type 2 diabetes ^[1,4]. In a Phase 2 randomized controlled trial in adults with obesity, weight reductions of at least 15% occurred in up to 83% of participants at the highest dose versus 2% on placebo, with dose-related, mostly mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal adverse events and transient dose-dependent heart-rate increases ^[1]. A separate Phase 2 RCT in type 2 diabetes, and pooled Phase 1/2 data, similarly showed dose-dependent weight loss, HbA1c reductions, and improvements in liver steatosis and diabetic kidney disease ^[2,4]. Evidence to date is promising but limited to Phase 1/2 trials; long-term safety and efficacy are being evaluated in ongoing Phase 3 TRIUMPH studies, and questions about cost and the quality of weight loss remain ^[2,3]. Retatrutide is not yet FDA-approved.

Sources

1. 1. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity - A Phase 2 Trial The New England journal of medicine, 2023.
2. 2. Retatrutide-A Game Changer in Obesity Pharmacotherapy Biomolecules, 2025.
3. 3. The power of three: Retatrutide's role in modern obesity and diabetes therapy European journal of pharmacology, 2024.
4. 4. Retatrutide, a GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist, for people with type 2 diabetes: a randomised, double-blind, placebo and active-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2 trial conducted in the USA Lancet (London, England), 2023.

For educational purposes only.