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Rumors about the astonishing weight loss potential of Eli Lilly’s triple hormone drug retatrutide have been circulating for months. The results of its Phase 3 clinical trial, just released by the drugmaker, amply justify the buzz. The company reports that “participants on 12 mg retatrutide lost an average of 70.3 lbs (28.3%) over 80 weeks with 45.3% of participants achieving ≥30% weight loss, a level long associated with bariatric surgery.”
Retatrutide is the latest compound to emerge from the revolution in hormonal treatment begun with the introduction of semaglutides like Ozempic in 2018 to treat Type 2 diabetes. Rebranded as Wegovy, the compound was approved for weight loss in June 2021.
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but adult obesity peaked at around the same time.
Besides helping people to control their diabetes and to lose substantial amounts of fat, these compounds appear to offer many additional health benefits. These include improved outcomes in people with cardiovascular, kidney, liver, arthritis, sleep apnea, and substance abuse disorders, along with reducing inflammation generally. More recent data suggest that these compounds also significantly reduce the risk of cancer overall and lower the risk of cancer spread. Recent research somewhat allays concerns that taking the compounds not only reduces fat but also muscle mass.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. initially disparaged the compounds for treating diabetes and obesity, instead insisting that Americans eat better. He declared that the drug companies are “counting on selling it to Americans because we’re so stupid and so addicted to drugs.” However, when President Donald Trump endorsed the drugs, the secretary adroitly reversed course.
The uptake of these compounds by Americans already seems to be reshaping aspects of the economy. Specifically, demand for higher protein foods is up, and demand for alcoholic beverages is down. As it happens, the drugs encourage people to improve their diets just as RFK Jr. has been demanding.
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