Rhianna Benson
A brand-new weight loss medication known as the 'Triple G' jab has piqued global interest, but medics say that users should proceed with caution.
Much like FDA-approved equivalents Wegovy and Mounjaro, retatrutide (as it's officially known) mimics certain gut hormones in an attempt to create the feeling of fullness, therefore reducing a person's appetite.
According to Oxford Online Pharmacy (OOP), this injectable also works by increasing both fat metabolism to see the body break down fat quickly, and insulin sensitivity to see blood sugar reduced. The latter also helps the body to break down stored fat.
According to small, early-stage trials, however, retatrutide is said to be even more effective than its counterparts.
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Semaglutide (the official name of Wegovy) mimics GLP-1 and results in an average of 15 per cent weight loss per year, before steadily plateauing.
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro's official title), meanwhile, mimics both GLP-1 and GIP, causing a 21 per cent weight loss that eventually levels off.
Retatrutide, meanwhile, mimics three hormones: GLP-1, GIP, and a third, called glucagon. Hence, 'Triple G'.
In early trials, it was found that this jab triggered a staggering 24 per cent weight loss. On top of this, experts found that, instead of gradually levelling out after around a year, people's weight continued falling.
As we say, however, 'Triple G' - also nicknamed the 'Godzilla' of weight loss jabs by some onlookers - has sparked concern amongst experts in the industry, given that it's not yet officially approved.
Despite having gone through smaller rounds of texts and experiments, the results of this particular injection have not yet been confirmed by larger trials.
This must be the case before regulators can approve the jabs for everyday use.
The issue is that desperate individuals are said to be purchasing 'Triple G' illegally through Chinese manufacturing websites, even though the potential consequences of use haven't yet been officially determined.
These manufacturers are able to sell these drugs because the chemical formula of retatrutide is publicly available - and if anything, it's quite simple, being a molecule called a peptide and a small chain of amino acids.
For it to be legal, the manufacturer, Eli Lilly, which owns the patents for retatrutide, would need to give permission for its sale for human use.
Layla Moran - a Lib Dem MP who currently serves as chair of Parliament’s Health and Social Care Select Committee - recently spoke of the 'serious threat to public health' that these extreme measures might pose.
She's also demanding that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) instigate a 'crackdown' on the purchase or trade of either unapproved or 'illegal' weight loss jabs.
The MHRA raided a UK warehouse last month, finding that retatrutide was being illegally manufactured (via The British Medical Journal). Tens of thousands of empty weight loss pens were discovered in the building, along with raw chemical ingredients and over 2,000 unlicensed retatrutide and tirzepatide pens.
An Eli Lilly spokesperson said in a statement (via the i Paper): "Retatrutide is an investigational medicine, available only in Lilly’s clinical trials. No one can legally sell it for human use. Counterfeit and black-market medicines are untested, unregulated and potentially dangerous - in some cases, deadly."
In approved weight loss drugs monitored by a healthcare professional, users are advised about frustrating side effects, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea - all of which are considered common.
In terms of illegal medications, however, it is understood that there's a higher risk of more severe side effects.
According to Moran's latest plea, these are said to include 'pancreatitis and gallbladder disorder'.
OOP pharmacist Kiran Jones added that this is likely because these illegally manufactured meds aren't subjected to the same quality checks, adding: "You could be risking your life. There is no guarantee of what you are putting into your body."
Experts predict that, due to the promising results obtained during early trials, if retatrutide continues to perform well during larger-scale tests, it could be available for purchase legally by 2027.
This will be available only on a prescription basis, however, and not over-the-counter.
To be available on the NHS, England's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Scotland's Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), Wales' All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG), and Northern Ireland's Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) must issue their approval - a process which can take several months.