# References — the published retatrutide trial record

> Full citation list for the retatrutide research literature referenced across this site: NEJM, Lancet, Nature Medicine, Cell Discovery, Cell Metabolism, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Phase 3 topline disclosures.

Every quantitative claim on this site is grounded in one of the publications below. Inline citation markers like [1] correspond to the numbered entries here.

## How to read this list

Sources cluster in three groups: the Phase 1 pharmacokinetics study (NCT04143802) and its supporting Cell Metabolism publication [7][11]; the published Phase 2 trials in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, and Nature Medicine [1][2][3]; and the Phase 3 topline disclosures from TRIUMPH-1 and TRIUMPH-4, currently available as sponsor press releases and conference coverage pending full publication [5][6]. The cryo-EM structural paper sits alongside the human trials as a 2024 mechanistic anchor [4].

Wherever a DOI is published, it is the most stable identifier — the URL columns below point to the freely accessible landing pages, which sometimes change. Press-release sources are flagged with 'topline' so readers can distinguish peer-reviewed primary publications from sponsor disclosures.

## The full list

The numbered list below is reproduced in machine-readable form in `references_index` at the bottom of this site's content metadata. The table on this page renders the same list with sortable columns when JavaScript is available; without it, the list reads linearly in numbered order.

## On primary sources

Three observations about reading this literature:

**First**, peer-reviewed primary publications and sponsor press releases are not interchangeable. Press releases (TRIUMPH-1 and TRIUMPH-4 topline) report headline numbers; peer-reviewed publications report the full statistical detail, prespecified analysis plans, and adverse-event adjudication. Where a peer-reviewed paper is available, it is the canonical source.

**Second**, cross-trial comparisons are not head-to-head data. The Phase 2 obesity trial and the Phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 trial are not directly comparable to one another in absolute terms — populations and durations differ. They are comparable as a trajectory within the retatrutide development program. Comparisons with other incretin molecules in the broader field are even more attenuated.

**Third**, the cardiovascular outcomes trial (TRIUMPH-Outcomes, approximately 10,000 participants with obesity and established cardiovascular disease) has not yet read out [15]. Until it does, statements about cardiovascular benefit or risk should be read as provisional, drawn from the surrogate-endpoint signals visible in the smaller trials (heart rate, blood pressure, lipid profile).

## References

[1] Jastreboff AM, Kaplan LM, Frias JP, Wu Q, Du Y, Gurbuz S, Coskun T, Haupt A, Milicevic Z, Hartman ML. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity — A Phase 2 Trial. New England Journal of Medicine. 2023. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2301972
[2] Rosenstock J, Frias J, Jastreboff AM, Du Y, Lou J, Gurbuz S, Thomas MK, Hartman ML, Haupt A, Milicevic Z, Coskun T. Retatrutide, a GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist, for people with type 2 diabetes: a randomised, double-blind, placebo and active-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2 trial conducted in the USA. Lancet. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37385280/
[3] Sanyal AJ, Kaplan LM, Frias JP, Brouwers B, Wu Q, Thomas MK, Harris C, Schneider DL, Kazda CM, Robins DA, Sloop KW, Hartman ML, Haupt A. Triple hormone receptor agonist retatrutide for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a randomized phase 2a trial. Nature Medicine. 2024. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03018-2
[4] Li W, Zhou Q, Cong Z, et al. Structural insights into the triple agonism at GLP-1R, GIPR and GCGR manifested by retatrutide. Cell Discovery. 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11255275/
[5] Eli Lilly and Company. TRIUMPH-1 Phase 3 topline: retatrutide delivered mean weight loss of approximately 28.3% over 80 weeks in adults with obesity without diabetes (investor news release). 2026. https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lillys-triple-agonist-retatrutide-delivered-weight-loss-average
[6] Eli Lilly and Company; HCPLive coverage. TRIUMPH-4: Retatrutide delivers weight loss and knee osteoarthritis pain relief (Phase 3 topline). 2025. https://www.hcplive.com/view/triumph-4-retatrutide-delivers-weight-loss-knee-osteoarthritis-pain-relief
[7] A Study of LY3437943 in Healthy Participants (Phase 1 first-in-human; NCT04143802); supporting Phase 1 pharmacokinetics publication. ClinicalTrials.gov registry record. 2022. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04143802
[8] Jastreboff AM, et al. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity — A Phase 2 Trial (safety analysis). New England Journal of Medicine. 2023. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2301972
[9] Jastreboff AM, et al. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity — A Phase 2 Trial (cardiovascular safety subanalysis). New England Journal of Medicine. 2023. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2301972
[10] The Effect of Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide, a Novel Medication for Weight Loss, on Blood Pressure — A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Phase 2 Trials. Journal of the American College of Cardiology (Supplement). 2024. https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/S0735-1097(24)03870-1
[11] Coskun T, Urva S, Roell WC, Qu H, Loghin C, Moyers JS, et al. LY3437943, a novel triple glucagon, GIP, and GLP-1 receptor agonist for glycemic control and weight loss: From discovery to clinical proof of concept. Cell Metabolism. 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35987205/
[12] Jastreboff AM, et al. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity — A Phase 2 Trial (longitudinal weight trajectory). New England Journal of Medicine. 2023. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2301972
[14] Eli Lilly and Company; Rheumatology Advisor coverage. TRIUMPH-4 results: retatrutide cuts weight and knee OA pain (Phase 3 safety profile, including cutaneous dysesthesia). 2025. https://www.rheumatologyadvisor.com/news/triumph-4-results-retatrutide-cuts-weight-and-knee-oa-pain/
[15] Eli Lilly clinical development team; ClinicalTrials.gov registry. Retatrutide Phase 3 Programs: TRIUMPH (weight management), TRANSCEND (type 2 diabetes), SYNERGY (combination strategies), TRIUMPH-Outcomes (cardiovascular outcomes, ~10,000 participants). 2024. https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?intr=retatrutide&aggFilters=phase:3
[16] Jastreboff AM, et al. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity — A Phase 2 Trial (efficacy summary). New England Journal of Medicine. 2023. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2301972
[17] Rosenstock J, et al. Retatrutide, a GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist, for people with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c sub-threshold analysis). Lancet. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37385280/
[18] Coskun T, et al. Effects of retatrutide on body composition in people with type 2 diabetes: a substudy of a randomised, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled phase 2 trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(25)00092-0
[19] et al. Dietary protein defends lean mass and maintains the metabolic benefits of weight loss. Mol Metab. 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11424806/
[20] et al. Weight Regain After GLP-1-Based Therapy Discontinuation: Failure, Physiology, and the Path Forward. Cureus. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41909366/

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An independent editorial reading of one investigational molecule — not a clinic, not a vendor, not a prescription.