Retatrutide is a powerful injectable treatment currently being tested in the US for the management of weight loss and obesity, as well as type 2 diabetes. It is being eagerly awaited by many Americans, given initial trials have suggested success levels on a par with surgery.
Alas, it has yet to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Apart from, it appears, for one man – back in April, a then 79-year-old back was reportedly to have given access to it under the Administration’s “compassionate use” program, a pathway that gives patients with serious and immediately life-threatening medical issues access to experimental treatments.
Birthday fans may have noted that one high-profile American man was 79 until just a few days ago…
According to Stat News, a US website reporting on health and medicine, three sources confirmed that a request was made to the FDA and pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in April, saying the request drew the interest of top health officials. All three sources requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals.
The site has reported that a senior clinician at the National Institutes of Health, Ranganath Muniyappa, requested the drug to treat a patient for refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, a severe version of the disease.
Stat News said it did not know who the patient was – but given the “patient demographics and the unusual nature of the application”, asked the White House whether the patient was President Trump, who was 79 in April, is overweight and has expressed interest in obesity drugs.
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In response to a question about whether Trump has obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, spokesperson Kush Desai said a White House memo detailing Trump’s most recent medical evaluation “covers this”. The memo doesn’t, however, mention obstructive sleep apnea or pulmonary hypertension. In response to a detailed list of questions, Ely Lilly spokesperson Misty Fuller said the company does not comment on the specifics of individual compassionate use applications.
It would not be entirely unprecedented for a prominent individual to be the first person provided access to an experimental drug through the FDA’s “compassionate use” pathway. During the Covid pandemic, one of the first people administered an antibody treatment from Regeneron after contracting the virus was… Donald Trump.
In his most recent annual medical examination, Trump’s doctor said he was in “excellent health” but had been given guidance on diet, physical activity and continued weight loss. Could it be that Trump has taken the third seriously, while not being prepared to go to the trouble of the first two?
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