Retatrutide, not yet approved by the FDA, is the latest wonder drug to shed pounds despite warnings from doctors

Retatrutide, not yet approved by the FDA, is the latest wonder drug to shed pounds despite warnings from doctors

Physicians see the drug as a promising potential solution for people struggling with obesity, but strongly warn patients that they are seriously risking their health by using it without oversight from doctors and government regulators. Yet these warnings often go unheeded.

“All of these medications should be monitored and prescribed in a medical situation where the doctor or the clinic is partnering with the patient on a complete plan” including “monitoring their lab [work], their vital signs, their response”, said Dr David Shafer, a plastic surgeon in New York who takes the drug. “It’s really the self-prescribing and unknown usage that is leading to a lot of the problems.”

Retatrutide could work well in helping people lose weight – and potentially have other health benefits – because whereas Ozempic targets one receptor, and tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, targets GLP-1 and the receptor GIP, the newer drug is a “triple agonist”, meaning it targets those two receptors and glucagon, which speeds up the body’s metabolism and helps it break down fat cells for energy.

  • Earthwormjim91English
    1·
    1 month ago

    The grey market isn’t that much cheaper. The telehealth companies are so ridiculously cheap today. And those are not the grey market.

    You can get semaglutide for less than $70 a month all in, which is cheaper than what you’ll get on the grey market when you factor in all the consumables you also have to buy like bacteriostatic water to compound it yourself, needles, alcohol pads, etc.

    • RobotToaster@mander.xyzEnglish
      1·
      1 month ago

      I assume that’s from a compounding pharmacy? We don’t have the same access to those in the UK, here the lowest you will find it for is £200

      • Earthwormjim91English
        1·
        1 month ago

        That is. There are a thousand compounding pharmacies now and they’re all competing on price.

        If you don’t have those in the UK then yeah I get your argument about the cost pushing people to the grey market.

      • Earthwormjim91English
        1·
        8 days ago

        Well Reta isn’t approved yet at all, so there’s no other market to compare. Ive compared tirz to the telehealth providers though and you can find tirz for $89 a month for any dose and sema for $49 a month.

        On the grey market, tirz is ~$110 for 60mg. Which is right about 4 weeks worth at the 15mg dose, and 6 weeks at 10mg. Which makes it right on par with the telehealth, or a little more expensive when you factor in getting bacteriostatic water to compound it, syringes, needles, and alcohol swabs since those are pretty much always included with the telehealth route.