Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Eli Lilly’s Retatrutide Delivers 23.7% Mean Weight Loss in First Phase 3, Cuts Knee Pain

Seven additional phase 3 readouts are slated by 2026, signaling escalating competition with Novo Nordisk.

Overview

  • In the TRIUMPH-4 trial, the highest dose produced 23.7% average weight loss at 68 weeks across all participants, increasing to 28.7% among those who completed treatment.
  • Participants with obesity and knee osteoarthritis saw average pain reductions of up to 62.6%, with more than one in eight pain-free by the end of the study.
  • Tolerability issues emerged at the top dose, with about 18% discontinuing due to side effects versus 4% on placebo, and nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting reported most often.
  • Retatrutide activates GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon pathways, differing from Lilly’s tirzepatide and Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide.
  • Lilly expects seven more phase 3 results by the end of 2026, a timeline that heightens the next-generation obesity drug race in a market projected to reach about $100 billion.