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Retatrutide, not yet approved by the FDA, is the latest wonder drug to shed pounds despite warnings from doctors

Physicians see the drug as a promising potential solution for people struggling with obesity, but strongly warn patients that they are seriously risking their health by using it without oversight from doctors and government regulators. Yet these warnings often go unheeded.

“All of these medications should be monitored and prescribed in a medical situation where the doctor or the clinic is partnering with the patient on a complete plan” including “monitoring their lab [work], their vital signs, their response”, said Dr David Shafer, a plastic surgeon in New York who takes the drug. “It’s really the self-prescribing and unknown usage that is leading to a lot of the problems.”

Retatrutide could work well in helping people lose weight – and potentially have other health benefits – because whereas Ozempic targets one receptor, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, targets GLP-1 and the receptor GIP, the newer drug is a “triple agonist”, meaning it targets those two receptors and glucagon, which speeds up the body’s metabolism and helps it break down fat cells for energy.