Updated

Updated · Mother Jones · Jun 23

White House Denies Trump Sought Eli Lilly Drug as Retatrutide Access Questions Swirl Around 79-Year-Old

Updated

Updated · Mother Jones · Jun 23

White House Denies Trump Sought Eli Lilly Drug as Retatrutide Access Questions Swirl Around 79-Year-Old

Q: How could an unapproved drug promise weight loss results rivaling bariatric surgery?

It could do so because Eli Lilly’s experimental drug retatrutide appears to produce unusually large weight loss in trials by targeting three metabolic pathways at once, not just one or two. Retatrutide is a once-weekly “triple agonist” that activates GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors. That combination is designed to reduce appetite, slow stomach emptying, improve insulin response and increase energy use and fat burning. Experts say that added glucagon activity may help push weight loss beyond what current GLP-1-based drugs achieve. That mechanism has translated into striking trial results. In late-stage studies, people on the highest dose lost roughly 28% of body weight over about 80 weeks, and some patients with more severe obesity reached about 30% over two years. Nearly half of participants on the top dose reportedly lost at least 30% of their body weight, a range long associated with bariatric surgery. That is why the drug has drawn attention in the White House story. The medicine discussed in the compassionate-use request was retatrutide, which remains unapproved and in Phase 3 testing for obesity, diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea. While the results are promising, it is still experimental, and full long-term safety and effectiveness data are not yet settled. So the promise comes from unusually strong clinical trial data and a more powerful three-hormone design, not from approval or routine availability.

3 articles · Updated · Mother Jones · Jun 23

STAT’s report of a connected 79-year-old man getting Eli Lilly’s unapproved weight-loss drug Retatrutide through compassionate use renewed questions over whether President Donald Trump was involved.
The White House said Tuesday that Trump was not the applicant, while Eli Lilly declined to directly rule out his involvement and said it does not discuss individual cases.
Retatrutide has not won FDA approval, making any access outside clinical trials unusually sensitive, especially for someone with ties to both regulators and the drugmaker.
Trump, 79, weighed 238 pounds in his latest health report—near clinical obesity—and has publicly praised GLP-1 weight-loss shots while criticizing their high U.S. prices.
The episode adds to scrutiny of potential conflicts around Trump’s relationship with Eli Lilly, whose stock he held through late March as his administration discussed drug pricing with the company.