Retatrutide
ALSO KNOWN AS · GLP-3 · LY3437943 · reta
An investigational triple agonist widely nicknamed "GLP-3" online. There is no GLP-3 hormone or receptor — the name is a consumer shorthand for a molecule that hits three receptors at once.
About the name
GLP-3 is not a real hormone, receptor or drug class. It circulates as an informal nickname for retatrutide because the molecule is seen as the generational step after GLP-1 drugs and dual agonists. Peer-reviewed literature and regulatory filings use "retatrutide" or "triple agonist".
Mechanism
Retatrutide adds glucagon receptor agonism to the GIP and GLP-1 activity of a dual agonist. Glucagon signalling raises energy expenditure and promotes hepatic fat mobilisation, which is the proposed reason weight loss in trials exceeded that of dual agonists.
Clinical evidence
In the Phase 2 obesity trial published in the NEJM in 2023, participants on 12 mg lost a mean of 24.2% of body weight at 48 weeks. The Phase 3 TRIUMPH programme is ongoing; retatrutide is not approved by any regulator.
Reported adverse events were predominantly gastrointestinal and dose-dependent, with cutaneous sensory effects reported at the highest dose.
Access
There is no legitimate prescription route for retatrutide while it remains investigational. Vials sold online as "research chemicals" are unverified in identity, purity and sterility, and are not the same thing as trial material.
PRIMARY SOURCES
- 01Triple-hormone-receptor agonist retatrutide in obesity, Phase 2— New England Journal of Medicine
- 02TRIUMPH-1 registration record— ClinicalTrials.gov
Educational reference only. Trial figures are protocol-condition means, not individual predictions. Investigational compounds are not approved medicines and have no legitimate consumer supply route.