Retatrutide

Retatrutide is a triple hormone (GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon) receptor agonist in development for the treatment of obesity.

• Obesity is a complex disease that occurs when an individual’s weight is higher than what is considered healthy for his/her height. According to the CDC, people with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight, and people with a BMI of 30 or higher are considered obese.

• Retatrutide works in the treatment of obesity by targeting three different hunger regulating hormones:
  – GIP (gastric inhibitory peptide or glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) is an incretin hormone that is released from the gut after eating. It stimulates the beta-cells in the pancreas to secrete insulin.
  – GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is also an incretin hormone that stimulates the beta-cells to secrete insulin.
  – glucagon is a hormone secreted from the alpha-cells in the pancreas. It stimulates glucose production in the liver and helps maintain adequate plasma glucose concentrations.
  The drug has been nicknamed ‘triple G’ because it is an agonist of all three receptors.

• Phase 2 clinical trial results published in The New England Journal of Medicine show retatrutide achieved up to 17.5% mean weight reduction at 24 weeks in adults with obesity and overweight. In a secondary endpoint, retatrutide demonstrated a mean weight reduction up to 24.2% at 48 weeks.

• Retatrutide is an injection that is administered once-weekly.

• Retatrutide is also being studied for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.