Triple hormone receptor agonist retatrutide for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a randomized phase 2a trial.
Sanyal. Arun J AJ; Kaplan. Lee M LM; Frias. Juan P JP; Brouwers. Bram B; Wu. Qiwei Q; Thomas. Melissa K MK; Harris. Charles C; Schloot. Nanette C NC; Du. Yu Y; Mather. Kieren J KJ; Haupt. Axel A; Hartman. Mark L ML
Key Findings
- Dose‑dependent liver‑fat reduction: -42.9% (1 mg), -57.0% (4 mg), -81.4% (8 mg), -82.4% (12 mg) versus +0.3% with placebo.
- High rates of normal liver fat (<5%) achieved: 27% (1 mg) up to 86% (12 mg) of participants.
- Corresponding weight loss of ~22‑24% at the 8 mg and 12 mg doses in the parent obesity study.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, retatrutide shows that a weekly sub‑cutaneous injection can dramatically improve fatty‑liver disease and drive weight loss, especially at 8‑12 mg doses. While not yet approved, the data suggest that if the peptide becomes accessible, a dose‑ramping protocol could be used to target liver health and metabolic performance. Monitoring body weight, abdominal fat, and insulin markers will help gauge response.
Summary
Retatrutide, a new triple‑hormone peptide, cuts liver fat by up to 82% in 24 weeks and drives massive weight loss (around 23‑24% at the highest doses). The effect gets bigger with higher doses and is linked to better insulin sensitivity and lower abdominal fat. It’s still in early trials, but the results are striking for anyone looking to tackle fatty liver and obesity.
Abstract
Retatrutide is a novel triple agonist of the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide 1 and glucagon receptors. A 48-week phase 2 obesity study demonstrated weight reductions of 22.8% and 24.2% with retatrutide 8 and 12 mg, respectively. The primary objective of this substudy was to assess mean relative change from baseline in liver fat (LF) at 24 weeks in participants from that study with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and ≥10% of LF. Here, in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, participants (n = 98) were randomly assigned to 48 weeks of once-weekly subcutaneous retatrutide (1, 4, 8 or 12 mg dose) or placebo. The mean relative change from baseline in LF at 24 weeks was -42.9% (1 mg), -57.0% (4 mg), -81.4% (8 mg), -82.4% (12 mg) and +0.3% (placebo) (all P < 0.001 versus placebo). At 24 weeks, normal LF (<5%) was achieved by 27% (1 mg), 52% (4 mg), 79% (8 mg), 86% (12 mg) and 0% (placebo) of participants. LF reductions were significantly related to changes in body weight, abdominal fat and metabolic measures associated with improved insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism. The ClinicalTrials.gov registration is NCT04881760 .
Study Information
pubmed
2024
2024-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
10.1038/s41591-024-03018-2
128
50