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Retatrutide for the treatment of obesity, obstructive sleep apnea and knee osteoarthritis: Rationale and design of the TRIUMPH registrational clinical trials.

Diabetes Obes Metab · 2026

Last updated 2026-05-28

Retatrutide is a new injectable drug that targets three different hormones involved in blood sugar control and weight. The TRIUMPH program will test its safety and effectiveness in over 5,800 adults with obesity, including those with sleep apnea or knee osteoarthritis, comparing it to a placebo alongside diet and exercise. The studies will measure changes in body weight, sleep apnea severity, and knee pain over time.

AI summary of the abstract below.

JournalDiabetes Obes Metab, 2026
Citations4
Molecules retatrutide
Conditions studied Obesity, Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

AIMS: Retatrutide, a novel synthetic molecule, is a triple agonist activating the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucagon receptors. The TRIUMPH clinical development program evaluates its safety and efficacy concurrently for the treatment of obesity and two related complications-obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and knee osteoarthritis (OA). A novel basket trial design simultaneously evaluates retatrutide treatment across these multiple adiposity-related disease states. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TRIUMPH consists of four Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind studies assessing weekly subcutaneous retatrutide compared to placebo, in conjunction with healthy diet and physical activity in over 5800 participants. The four trials consist of two weight management basket trials (TRIUMPH-1 and TRIUMPH-2) with OSA and/or OA protocols nested within the weight management trial; one weight management trial in a population with CVD (TRIUMPH-3); and one stand-alone OA trial (TRIUMPH-4). The primary endpoint for weight management is percent change in body weight, for OSA is change in Apnea-Hypopnea Index and for knee OA includes change in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain subscale score. The basket trial permits independent analysis of weight management, OSA and OA studies with type I error rate controlled at α = 0.05, split between the overarching weight management and each basket trial. CONCLUSIONS: By recruiting participants with shared disease exposures, the TRIUMPH program will assess the safety and efficacy of retatrutide for the treatment of adults with obesity and two of its common complications-OSA and OA.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 41090431 ↗

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