Lilly trial shows retatrutide weight loss comparable to surgery

An experimental weight-loss drug from Eli Lilly has achieved results in a major clinical trial that rival the effectiveness of bariatric surgery, according to data released by the company. The drug, retatrutide, helped patients lose an average of 28.3 percent of their body weight over 80 weeks at its highest dose.

The Phase 3 trial, named TRIUMPH-1, involved approximately 2,500 adults with obesity or who were overweight with at least one weight-related health condition, but who did not have diabetes. More than 45 percent of participants on the highest 12-milligram dose lost 30 percent or more of their body weight, a threshold historically associated with surgical intervention. On average, that dose resulted in a loss of roughly 70 pounds.

Company officials highlighted the significance of the results. Kenneth Custer, president of Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, stated that achieving this level of weight loss with a medicine is a major development. Dan Skovronsky, Lilly’s chief scientific officer, called the 30 percent weight reduction figure incredible for this category of medication.

Retatrutide is distinguished by its mechanism, acting on three hormone pathways—GLP-1, GIP, and...