A new drug, which is not yet approved for weight loss, is raising concerns due to its potentially lethal effects on some users.
This medication, now in its third phase of clinical trials, has been found to contain ‘impurities.’ The full impact of these on the human body is not yet understood.
Such uncertainties contribute to the risks associated with the drug, which have had alarming consequences.
For example, the Daily Mail reported a man’s death due to complications after using the drug, and several individuals in Australia have been hospitalized after obtaining it.
The manufacturer’s official site indicates that the drug, Reta, is accessible to trial participants, though some have acquired it through illegal channels.
Although the clinical trials have been reportedly successful, they have not progressed beyond the third stage due to side effects noted by users, according to Courtney Younglove, MD, founder and medical director of Heartland Weight Loss in Overland Park, Kansas.
Dr. Younglove explained that the current situation resembles an unregulated experiment on humans.
“What’s happening now is a huge, unregulated human experiment,” she told Medscape Medical News. “Yes, we know retatrutide works to cause weight loss, but the more important data — who are the best candidates, what dose(s) do we use, how to titrate them, what adverse effects to watch for — we don’t know.”
While the full extent of side effects is not clear, a study of self-reported side effects among Reddit users revealed that 57.6% of the 13,589 respondents experienced at least one side effect.
Common issues included increased appetite, fatigue, nausea, cravings, increased energy, insomnia, and elevated heart rate.
Since health authorities have not approved the drug, taking it poses significant risks.
In Australia, officials issued an urgent health warning after six individuals were hospitalized with acute liver damage after using the drug.
Acute liver damage can be life-threatening, necessitating urgent medical intervention and, in some cases, a liver transplant.
Naveed Sattar, a professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, also cautioned against the drug’s availability on the black market.
He stated: “No one in the UK should be on a drug that is not licensed or has not been approved by MHRA.
“People need to be very wary of something that’s been sold to them called retatrutide because it is likely not retatrutide.
“They could be injecting into their body any substance that could potentially cause them harm.
“I would urge people not to buy things that are not licensed and not from proper manufacturers. Otherwise, you could be putting yourself into harm’s way.”
The Reta website highlights the associated risks, clarifying that it is not legally available for purchase: “Retatrutide is an investigational molecule available only to participants in Lilly’s clinical trials, where its safety and efficacy are still being evaluated. It has not been approved by any regulatory agency, and no one should take anything claiming to be retatrutide outside of a Lilly-sponsored clinical trial.
“Illicit retatrutide products may contain unknown ingredients, harmful contaminants and impurities.”
UNILAD has reached out to the manufacturers of retatrutide, Eli Lilly, for a response.