“The results announced by Eli Lilly were from a randomized study of 2,339 patients who were obese or overweight. Those who got the highest dose of the drug had lost 70 pounds on average, or 28 percent of their body weight, after 80 weeks, the company said.

The drug led to even more weight loss in the heaviest patients in the study. Those with a body mass index over 35, considered moderate or severe obesity, were assessed after two years.

Over that time, those on the highest dose lost an average of 85 pounds, or 30.3 percent of their weight. By comparison, patients who have gastric bypass surgery lose about 30 to 35 percent of their body weight after two years.

The weight loss with retatrutide surpasses what is typically possible with the two most popular injections for obesity: Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.

They can help people lose about 20 percent of their body weight over a similar period. Pill versions of the drugs deliver more modest weight loss, between 12 and 14 percent of body weight.”

From New York Times.