Published : 30 Sep 2026, 09:08 PM
Updated : 30 Sep 2026, 09:08 PM
An experimental drug nicknamed the "Godzilla" of weight-loss treatments helps obese people with type 2 diabetes shed a large share of their body weight, according to the biggest trial of its kind.
Retatrutide, made by Eli Lilly, copies three gut hormones: GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon.
Rivals such as Wegovy act on GLP-1 alone, while Mounjaro targets GLP-1 and GIP. The added glucagon action is meant to raise the body's energy burn, reports The Guardian.
The 80-week phase 3 trial covered 2,047 adults with type 2 diabetes and a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or above, across eight countries including India.
Participants received weekly injections alongside diet and exercise advice.
Average weight loss reached 11.9 percent on a 4mg dose, 16.8 percent on 9mg, and 18.8 percent on 12mg, against 5.1 percent for placebo. On the top dose, 47 percent lost at least a fifth of their weight, and 31 percent lost at least a quarter, according to The Guardian.
Some 72 percent on retatrutide brought their HbA1c, a measure of average blood sugar over two to three months, down to 6.5 percent or below, compared with 29 percent on placebo. Blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and a key inflammation marker also improved.
Diarrhoea and nausea were the most common side effects. Diarrhoea hit 27-34 percent of retatrutide users versus 13 percent on placebo, while nausea affected 14-28 percent versus 8 percent.
Seven participants died during the trial, but investigators judged none of the deaths to be linked to the treatment.
The findings, funded by Eli Lilly, appear in The Lancet and were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Milan. No regulator has yet approved the drug. States The Guardian.
Separate research at the same meeting found weight-loss drugs are mostly not linked to poor pregnancy outcomes in women with type 2 diabetes, though the authors call for urgent further study.
