She’s giving obesity medications another shot.
Diane Schram, 64, lost 25 pounds with Ozempic and tirzepatide, a similar medication. After plateauing on those two drugs, Schram is trying a new experimental drug that’s being hailed as better than Ozempic.
Eli Lilly’s retatrutide, which is in clinical trials, may help users shed up to 24% of their body weight after 48 weeks. Schram is taking it at Renew Body Contouring and MedSpa in Houston as part of a clinical research study, the Fox affiliate in Houston reports.
“The new retatrutide has an ability to help you retain muscle and now you’re having less side effects,” Renew owner Katina Kearns told Fox 26 on Tuesday.
Semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — mimics GLP-1, a hormone the body naturally produces after eating.
Tirzepatide — the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound — mimics GLP-1 and GIP, another appetite-suppressing hormone.
Retatrutide has earned the nickname “triple G” because it mimics GLP-1, GIP and glucagon, a hormone that helps control blood sugar levels.
Retatrutide “has a strong effect on visceral fat and liver obesity and other really difficult-to-treat types of obesity. As a result, you lose even more weight than tirzepatide,” Dave Ricks, chair and CEO of Lilly, told the Wall Street Journal last month.
The outlet reported that retatrutide is in Phase 3 trials and won’t be up for approval by the Food and Drug Administration for a few years.
In the meantime, Schram is aiming to lose five more pounds. She said she’s only experienced side effects with Ozempic — nausea.
“Some people just think it’s going to melt off, but it took time,” Schram told Fox 26 about the weight. “I had to exercise, I had to eat better, but when you start to lose weight, you become cognizant of that and you want to do better.”
Kearns told the news station that her clients have dropped between 20 and 100 pounds with weight loss injections. She said side effects have ranged from muscle loss to hair loss to saggy facial skin that’s being dubbed “Ozempic face.” She hopes side effects are limited with retatrutide.
Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation were reported in research published last year.
