ADA: Reductions in Body Weight With Retatrutide for Obesity

THURSDAY, June 29, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Retatrutide treatment for 48 weeks yields substantial reductions in body weight among adults with obesity, according to a study published online June 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association, held from June 23 to 26 in San Diego.

Ania M. Jastreboff, M.D., Ph.D., from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues conducted a phase 2 double-blind, randomized trial involving adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m² or higher or with a BMI of 27 to <30 kg/m² with at least one weight-related condition. A total of 338 adults were randomly assigned to subcutaneous retatrutide (1 mg, 4 mg [initial dose, 2 mg], 4 mg [initial dose, 4 mg], 8 mg [initial dose, 2 mg], 8 mg [initial dose, 4 mg], or 12 mg [initial dose, 2 mg]) or placebo once-weekly for 48 weeks in a 2:1:1:1:1:2:2 ratio.

The researchers found that the least-squares mean percentage change in body weight at 24 weeks was −7.2 percent in the 1-mg group, −12.9 percent in the combined 4-mg groups, −17.3 percent in the combined 8-mg groups, and −17.5 percent in the 12-mg group at 24 weeks, compared with −1.6 percent in the placebo group. At 48 weeks, the corresponding least-squares mean percentage changes were −8.7, −17.1, −22.8, and −24.2 percent, compared with −2.1 percent in the placebo group.

"The results warrant further investigation in the planned phase 3 trial to inform the efficacy and safety of retatrutide for the treatment of obesity," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, which manufactures retatrutide and funded the study.

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