Clinical trial reports on three incretin-related peptides

Semaglutide

Study type: clinical. Wilding and colleagues (2021) reported a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with overweight or obesity and without diabetes. At 68 weeks, the paper reported a larger mean percent reduction in body weight in the semaglutide arm than in the placebo arm, and gastrointestinal events were recorded more often in the active arm. Limitation: one selected population and a fixed follow-up window; the report does not establish results outside that design.

Tirzepatide

Study type: clinical. Jastreboff and colleagues (2022) reported a phase 3 randomized trial in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a weight-related condition, and without diabetes. The paper reported larger mean percent body-weight changes in assigned tirzepatide arms than with placebo at 72 weeks, with gastrointestinal events among the events recorded. Limitation: eligibility criteria and trial duration restrict how far the measured differences can be read.

Retatrutide

Study type: clinical. Jastreboff and colleagues (2023) reported a phase 2 randomized trial. The paper reported percent body-weight change at 48 weeks that differed across assigned retatrutide arms and placebo, and it recorded gastrointestinal events. Limitation: phase 2 size and duration; the paper is not a completed later-phase dataset.

Sources

• Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
• Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038
• Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity — A Phase 2 Trial. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2301972