Eli Lilly's Retatrutide Shows Significant Reduction in Knee Osteoarthritis Pain and Weight in TRIUMPH Trials
Eli Lilly's investigational drug, retatrutide, a triple agonist of GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptors, has demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing knee osteoarthritis pain and body weight in two Phase 3 trials, TRIUMPH-4 and TRIUMPH-1-OA. In TRIUMPH-4, 69.6% of participants on 9 mg and 63.2% on 12 mg achieved at least a 50% reduction in WOMAC pain, compared to 37.8% with placebo. Similarly, WOMAC physical function scores improved significantly. In TRIUMPH-1-OA, mean weight change at week 80 ranged from -17.5% with 4 mg to -24.8% with 12 mg, versus -4.3% with placebo. The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, including nausea, diarrhea, and constipation, primarily during dose escalation. Discontinuation rates due to adverse events were higher in the retatrutide groups compared to placebo. Serious adverse events were also more frequent with retatrutide. The trials, funded by Eli Lilly, excluded patients requiring knee replacement and were not designed to assess osteoarthritis progression.
