The Future of Obesity Drugs: Cheaper and More Effective Options on the Horizon.

Two new drugs for treating obesity, orforglipron and retatrutide, have shown breakthrough results in phase II clinical trials. Both drugs mimic hormones produced by the gut to reduce appetite and slow the passage of food through the digestive tract. Orforglipron is a non-peptide molecule that can be packaged into a pill and is cheaper to produce than existing treatments. Retatrutide has an unprecedented level of efficacy, with participants losing an average of 24.2% of their body weight over 11 months of treatment. However, both drugs can have unpleasant side effects, and people are likely to regain weight if they stop taking them.