Eli Lilly Preparing Retatrutide Applications After Positive Weight-Loss Data
Betsy McKay and Elias Schisgall
Thu, July 23, 2026 at 4:18 PM GMT+5:30
2 min read
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Eli Lilly is preparing application materials for its next-generation weight-loss drug, retatrutide, following data from two Phase 3 trials showing the treatment delivered substantial results
The pharmaceutical company said that in one trial, overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes lost an average of nearly 13% of their body weight after 80 weeks at a four milligram dose of retatrutide. At a 12 milligram dose, patients lost an average of nearly 21% of their body weight
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Another trial, this one studying patients with severe obesity and cardiovascular disease, showed the treatment led to an average <a href="https://healthylife7.com/weight-loss-drugs-increase-the-risk-of-hair-loss/" title="Weight loss drugs increase the risk of hair loss”>weight loss of nearly 56 pounds after 80 weeks, along with a reduction in cardiovascular risk factors
Lilly said it now has data supporting global submissions for retatrutide to treat obesity, knee osteoarthritis pain, and sleep apnea. It plans to submit the drug as a biologic for U.S. approval in the first quarter of 2027
The treatment is likely the “optimal medicine” for people seeking to lose weight or lower their Body Mass Index, Lilly Chief Scientific and Product Officer Daniel Skovronsky said in an interview, adding that the drug sets a “new benchmark” for weight loss. Retatrutide works by mimicking three gut hormones, which helps regulate appetite and can increase a person’s energy expenditure
“At the low dose, we’re seeing efficacy that’s on par with other weight loss drugs at their highest doses, but patients can achieve it quickly with only one step” without gradually titrating up their doses, Skovronsky said
The trial for patients with cardiovascular disease also showed other exciting outcomes, Skovronsky said, including reductions in triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation
Lilly hopes that an approval for retatrutide as a biologic will help close off a flourishing market in counterfeit versions of the drug. More restrictions are placed on compounding and counterfeit versions of biologics, Skovronsky said
Getting the treatment approved as a biologic would allow the company to “offer a real legitimate alternative that’s made under high quality and studied for safety and efficacy, and then shut down that somewhat dangerous and surely illegal pathway,” he said
