Retatrutide, the next generation of GLP-1 drug from Eli Lilly, helped participants lose an average of 71.2 pounds and reduce knee arthritis pain in a late-stage clinical trial, the company announced.
In fact, some of the participants dropped out of the trial because they were losing too much weight, the pharmaceutical company said.
Retatrutide is an experimental triple agonist medication, mimicking three different gut hormones in the body — GLP-1, GIP and glucagon — whereas Eli Lilly's widely popular Zepbound and Mounjaro medications, made with tirzepatide, address only two of those hormones.
RELATED STORY | Eli Lilly could bring first widely available GLP‑1 pill for obesity, diabetes to market this year
Other medications, such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic drugs, are made from semaglutide and solely address the GLP-1 hormone.
The highest dose of the medication helped patients lose an average of 28.7% of their body weight in 68 weeks, not including those participants in the trial who dropped out, Eli Lilly said.
RELATED STORY | Medicare Part D recipients to see lower prices on Ozempic, Wegovy and more
More than 1 in 8 of the patients in the trial were also completely free from knee pain by the end of it, Eli Lilly said.
As far as side effects, the company said 43% of patients on the highest dose experienced nausea, while roughly 33% had diarrhea.
It's unclear when the drug could enter the market.
