If additional studies support these findings, retatrutide could become the most potent weight loss medication on the market.
The company also tested the drug on a small subset of patients with MASLD.
The study included 338 adults with obesity or overweight.
Photo Illustration by Michela Buttignol for Verywell Health; Getty Images
After 48 weeks, the group saw 24.2% average weight loss.
Those numbers put retatrutide on track to overtake its predecessors.
By comparison, Mounjaro can help patients lose nearly 16% of their body weight.
An Ozempic 3.0?
The class of powerful new obesity and diabetes drugs that includes Wegovy and Ozempic are called GLP-1 agonists.
Thats because the drugs mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1.
When there is food in the stomach, the extra GLP-1 stimulates the pancreas to create more insulin.
That helps to lower blood sugar and delays digestion and appetite, making people feel full longer.
Mounjaro is a dual agonist, meaning it acts on both GLP-1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP).
Retatrutide is considered a tri-agonist because it acts on one additional hormone called glucagon.
Glucagon also appears to break down fatty acids in the liver, with positive effects for people with MASLD.
The dual agonist is better than the single and then the triple is better than dual, Trikudanathan said.
The results of studies on the liver health benefits of other highly effective weight loss drugs are mixed.
There are currently no FDA-approved medications for MASLD.
Eli Lilly studied retatrutide only in people in the early stages of liver disease.
However, its not yet clear whether the drugs will meaningfully improve outcomes for people with fibrosis.
In the meantime, there are several GLP-1-based drugs on the market for obesity and diabetes treatment.
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