Weight loss doctor argues Reta isn't just for shedding fat and has much wider impact on body
A weight loss doctor has been saying that retatrutide, a new drug going through clinical trials, appears to do a lot more than just help someone taking it shed a few extra stone.
Of the weight loss drugs on the market, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy is based on semaglutide and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro has tirzepatide as its active ingredient.
Eli Lilly are also putting retatrutide through trials at the moment, and it's been described as a 'triple-agonist' for the way it affects three hormones in the body with the goal of suppressing appetite and getting someone to eat less.
For reference, semaglutide hits one receptor and tirzepatide hits two, so retatrutide is expected to be stronger than both of them.
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Dr Kevin Joseph has suggested that 'weight loss may be the least interesting thing about it', releasing a video where he said there were all sorts of other benefits being shown by retatrutide.
"In real, peer-reviewed clinical trials, this one molecule did some insane things," the weight loss doctor said, claiming that the benefits went well beyond the other drugs on the market.
"It nearly erased fatty liver disease in almost nine out of 10 patients. It cut knee arthritis pain by 75 percent.
"It dropped the most dangerous fats in your blood by more than 40 percent and it may even keep failing kidneys from shutting down completely.
"That's not a weight loss drug. That's something that we've never really had before."
Running through some of the other early observations made on various parts of the body, Dr Joseph said studies showed people taking retatrutide for 48 weeks had healthier hearts with up to 27 percent less bad cholesterol along with other big drops in indicators that arteries would become clogged.
He said studies on people's kidneys while taking retatrutide found that filtering speed improved on higher doses of the drug, and at the maximum dose signs of proteins leaking into urine were way down.
As for the brain, the doctor added that it appeared to 'protect learning and memory in rats' and helped protect the gene linked to brain repair.
He called retatrutide a 'disease-fighting drug that happens to also melt fat', and suggested it could lead to a 'whole new era in metabolic medicine'.
It's not all sunshine and roses for retatrutide, which early trials have indicated can help someone lose about 28.3 percent of their body weight, as some who say they've been on it claim it left them 'unable to experience joy or happiness'.
Data from phase two trials indicates that people taking the drug, which is injected once a week, said the most common side effects were nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation.
In a statement given to LADbible Group, Eli Lilly and Company explained: “Retatrutide is an investigational molecule and cannot legally be sold to the public. It has not been reviewed or approved by any regulatory agency in the world.
“No one should consider taking anything claiming to be retatrutide outside of a Lilly-sponsored clinical trial.
“The company continues to warn the public about the potential dangers of fake medicines.
“Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority.
“We take reports regarding patient safety seriously and actively monitor, evaluate, and report safety information for all our medicines. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) should only be used when prescribed by a healthcare professional.
“We encourage patients to consult their doctor or other healthcare professional regarding any side effects they may be experiencing and to ensure that they are getting genuine Lilly medicine.
“Side effects or adverse events should be reported to the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme.”
Joe Harker