Research
Trials find retatrutide eased knee osteoarthritis pain in people with obesity
A pooled analysis found about two-thirds of retatrutide recipients had at least a 50% reduction in knee pain, compared with 38% of placebo recipients.
Two Phase III trials tested investigational retatrutide in people with painful knee osteoarthritis and overweight or obesity. Medical Xpress reported that a pooled analysis found about two-thirds of participants receiving retatrutide had at least a 50% reduction in knee pain, compared with 38% receiving placebo. In TRIUMPH-4, which enrolled 445 patients, WOMAC pain scores fell by 4.48 points with the 9-mg dose and 4.41 points with the 12-mg dose by week 68, compared with a 2.43-point decrease with placebo, according to MedPage Today.
Medical Xpress reported that participants receiving the highest dose lost about one-quarter of their body weight on average. MedPage Today reported that TRIUMPH-4 participants lost more than one-quarter of their body weight after 68 weeks. Adverse events led 13% of the 9-mg group and 18% of the 12-mg group to withdraw, compared with 4% of the placebo group. Researchers said further study is needed to determine whether retatrutide slows knee osteoarthritis progression or reduces the need for joint replacement.
