Drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic contain semaglutide, and were originally conceived to reduce the effects of type 2 diabetes, but because the weight loss effects of these jabs are so sought after, many people are using them to tackle obesity. Now, a new drug, Retatrutide is being hailed as the “Godzilla” of slimming injections is outperforming it’s predecessors.
Data from recent trials have shown retatrutide helped participants to shed an average 24.2 percent of their bodyweight, and there’s a reason that it is so effective. Wegovy and Ozempic contain semaglutide, a substance that suppresses appetites and can drop as much as 15 percent of their bodyweight. Mounjaro (also known as tirzepatide) is another popular drug that acts in a similar way, dialling into the GLP and also the GIP hormones that manage hunger and satiety, resulting in lower blood sugar. Trials of Mounjaro showed a 22.5 percent reduction in bodyweight. Now, this new jab, retatrutide is showing huge promise because it goes further than the old guard.
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What is Retatrutide?
Retatrutide works in a different way to earlier drugs in that it supercharges the metabolism in addition to its appetite-suppressing effects, and this may explain why it has outperformed semaglutide and tirzepatide treatments, showing a 24.2 percent loss in bodyweight after just 48 weeks of use. Retatrutide targets GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon, making it perhaps the most complete treatment yet. Interestingly, a phase 2 clinical trial with 338 people found that for those on retatrutide, women lost 28.5 percent bodyweight compared to 21.9 percent for men. While this may be due to genetic differences in the sexes, it is still a substantial result no matter your gender, and so it is not surprising then, that interest is high in terms of getting retatrutide approved.
Presenting the findings at the European Obesity Congress in Venice, Dr Ania Jastreboff, director of the Yale Obesity Research Centre, said: “The results are striking. In a phase two trial, this degree of weight reduction in this this time frame has not been seen, ” as reported by the Daily Mail. Speaking to The Times, Professor Alexander Miras, who is an obesity expert at Ulster University also commented on its success; “There are two mechanisms; decreasing food intake and increasing energy expenditure. Up until now all of the medications have just focused on reducing food intake.” With retatrutide working on both mechanisms to manage weight, some experts think that future iterations of the drug could be even more successful. Of course, more work needs to be done to monitor the evolution of retatrutide, it’s side effects, and dosage, but with these types of advances in the field, we seem to be entering into a bold new era of obesity management.
