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Guide · GLP-1 · United States
Retatrutide: what it is, what the trials show, and when it might arrive
Retatrutide is Eli Lilly's investigational once-weekly injection that acts on three hormone receptors at once: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. It is not FDA approved, it cannot be prescribed anywhere, and Lilly plans to file for US approval in the first quarter of 2027.[2] This guide sets out what the trials have reported so far, with the phase, size and date of each, where it stands with the FDA, why it has no price, why “retatrutide for sale” online is not what it claims to be, and what you can legally get today.
Retatrutide at a glance
- FDA statusNot approvedInvestigational; Lilly says it cannot legally be sold or marketed for human use.[2]
- Planned FDA filingQ1 2027Lilly's stated plan for its Biologics License Application; no decision or launch date exists.[3]
- Largest Phase 3 result−28.3% at 80 weeksMean weight change on 12 mg in TRIUMPH-1 (2,339 participants), efficacy estimand; placebo −2.2%.[1]
- PriceNone existsNo approved product, no announced price. Any “retatrutide price” online is a research-chemical seller's.
What retatrutide is
Retatrutide (often shortened online to “reta”) is a once-weekly injectable medicine being developed by Eli Lilly. It is a “triple agonist”: one molecule that activates the receptors for three gut and pancreatic hormones, GLP-1, GIP and glucagon.[2] GLP-1 and GIP are the hormones semaglutide and tirzepatide already work through, and are linked to appetite, fullness and blood sugar control. Adding glucagon-receptor activity is what makes retatrutide different; glucagon is involved in how the body uses stored energy.
Lilly is studying it in a Phase 3 programme called TRIUMPH, which began in 2023 and has enrolled more than 5,800 people across trials in obesity and overweight, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, knee osteoarthritis pain, chronic low back pain and cardiovascular and kidney outcomes.[2][4] Lilly describes it, in every release, as investigational. Our directory's reference entry on retatrutide covers the same ground from the clinic side: what to expect a credible clinic to say about it.
How retatrutide differs from semaglutide and tirzepatide
| Medicine | Receptors | Brand names | Can you be prescribed it in the US? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide | GLP-1 | Wegovy, Ozempic | Yes: FDA approved brand, and compounded versions from licensed pharmacies |
| Tirzepatide | GLP-1 and GIP | Zepbound, Mounjaro | Yes: FDA approved brand, and compounded versions from licensed pharmacies |
| Retatrutide | GLP-1, GIP and glucagon | None yet | No: investigational, trial participants only |
The practical difference today is the last column. Retatrutide's trials have reported larger average weight loss than tirzepatide or semaglutide reported in their own trials, but no head-to-head trial has been published; Lilly's TRIUMPH-5 study (NCT06662383) is comparing retatrutide with tirzepatide directly and has not reported.[4] Until it does, comparing one trial's percentage with another's is unreliable: the trials enrolled different people, for different lengths of time, under different rules. Our retatrutide vs tirzepatide comparison and semaglutide vs tirzepatide comparison go through each pair.
Retatrutide trial results so far
These are the results as reported by the trial sponsor or in the journal named, with the phase, who took part, how many, and for how long. Average weight change in a monitored trial, with structured dose increases and side-effect management, is not a promise of what any one person would lose. “Efficacy estimand” is the figure assuming everyone stayed on treatment; the “treatment-regimen” figure counts people who stopped, and is lower.
| Trial | Reported | Who, how many, how long | Weight result as reported | Also reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 2 (NEJM)Phase 2 | 26 June 2023[5] | Adults with obesity or overweight, without type 2 diabetes. 338 participants, 48 weeks. | Mean weight change: 1 mg −8.7%; 4 mg −17.1%; 8 mg −22.8%; 12 mg −24.2%; placebo −2.1% | The trial that set off the interest. Small, and a Phase 2 study. |
| TRIUMPH-1 (NCT05929066)Phase 3 | 21 May 2026 (topline)[1] | Adults with obesity or overweight and at least one weight-related condition, without diabetes. 2,339 participants, 80 weeks. | Mean weight change (efficacy estimand): 4 mg −19.0%; 9 mg −25.9%; 12 mg −28.3%; placebo −2.2%. Treatment-regimen estimand: −17.6%, −23.7%, −25.0% and −3.9% | Stopped treatment because of side effects: 4.1% (4 mg), 6.9% (9 mg), 11.3% (12 mg), 4.9% (placebo). |
| TRIUMPH-2 (NCT05929079)Phase 3 | 23 July 2026 (topline); 29 September 2026 (full results, The Lancet)[3] | Adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity or overweight. 1,152 participants, 80 weeks. | Mean weight change (efficacy estimand): 4 mg −12.7%; 9 mg −19.1%; 12 mg −20.8%; placebo −4.0%. A1C fell by 1.4 to 1.6 points from 7.7% | Stopped because of side effects: 3.8% (4 mg), 11.6% (9 mg), 7.7% (12 mg), 4.9% (placebo). |
| TRIUMPH-3 (NCT05882045)Phase 3 | 23 July 2026 (topline)[2] | Adults with a BMI of 35 or more and established cardiovascular disease, with or without type 2 diabetes. 1,949 participants, 80 weeks. | Mean weight change (efficacy estimand): 9 mg −21.6%; 12 mg −22.6%; placebo −3.2% | Stopped because of side effects: 9.8% (9 mg), 13.5% (12 mg), 4.8% (placebo). Major cardiovascular events (MACE-5, retatrutide pooled vs placebo): 44 vs 52, hazard ratio 0.82, 95% CI 0.55 to 1.22; the interval includes 1, so no cardiovascular benefit is shown. |
The most common side effects in every trial were gastrointestinal: nausea, diarrhoea, constipation and vomiting, more often at higher doses. In TRIUMPH-1, for example, nausea was reported by 42.4% of people on 12 mg against 14.8% on placebo, and 11.3% of the 12 mg group stopped treatment because of side effects.[1] Lilly also reported a sensation side effect, dysesthesia (abnormal skin sensation), at 12.5% on 12 mg against 0.9% on placebo in TRIUMPH-1.[1] Longer-term safety data are still being collected; Lilly says further TRIUMPH results are expected over the coming year.[3]
Where retatrutide stands with the FDA, and the expected timeline
Retatrutide is not FDA approved, and Lilly has not announced that an application has been filed. Lilly's position, in its own words, is that retatrutide is “investigational” and “cannot legally be sold or marketed for human use”.[2] On 23 July 2026 Lilly said it was completing the manufacturing (CMC) part of its application and planned to submit a Biologics License Application to the FDA in the first quarter of 2027; it repeated the Q1 2027 plan on 29 September 2026.[2][3]
That is the whole of the public timeline. There is no FDA review under way, because nothing has been filed, and Lilly has not given a launch date; an FDA review follows a filing and takes months, and a decision is not guaranteed to be an approval. Lilly has also said it has the clinical data to support filings outside the US, without naming dates.[2] We will update this section when Lilly confirms a filing or the FDA publishes a decision.
What retatrutide might cost
There is no retatrutide price. Lilly has not announced one, and a medicine without an approved product has no list price, no insurance position and no cash price. Any figure you see for “retatrutide cost” is either a guess or a research-chemical seller's price for an unregulated vial, which is not a price for the medicine.
The nearest reference is how Lilly priced its last weight-management launch. Lilly publishes self-pay prices for brand-name tirzepatide (Zepbound) on its own LillyDirect page, by dose and by pen or vial.[7] The Zepbound cash prices in our own daily read of US online programmes: Hims, Zepbound KwikPen: $299 a month (checked 31 Oct 2026), Hims, Zepbound vial: $299 a month (checked 31 Oct 2026) and Ro.co, Zepbound KwikPen: $299 a month (checked 31 Oct 2026). Whether retatrutide launches above, at or below that is unknown. For what GLP-1 medicines cost today, dated and read daily, see the US GLP-1 Price Index.
“Retatrutide for sale”: what those sites are selling
Searches for “retatrutide for sale”, “buy retatrutide” and “retatrutide price” lead to websites selling vials labelled “for research purposes only”. These are unregulated research-chemical products. No regulator has checked what is in the vial, how much, or how it was made, and no licensed clinician is involved. The FDA has written to at least one such seller to say that its “retatrutide” and “semaglutide” products are unapproved new drugs, that the “research use only” label does not change that when the site markets them for weight loss, and that selling them can lead to seizure and injunction.[6]
Peptide Clinic Finder does not list, link or review any seller of retatrutide, and there is no such thing as “compounded retatrutide” from a legitimate pharmacy: compounding pharmacies prepare prescribed medicines, and retatrutide cannot be prescribed. A clinic or website that offers it today is the clearest red flag on this page. Lilly's trials are the only legal route to the molecule; its trial register page lists the studies that are recruiting.[4]
What you can get now: compounded tirzepatide and semaglutide, at today's prices
If you were searching for retatrutide because you want the medicine class it belongs to, the two members you can be prescribed in the US today are tirzepatide and semaglutide. Brand-name Zepbound and Wegovy are the FDA approved versions. US telehealth programmes also prescribe compounded tirzepatide and compounded semaglutide, prepared by a licensed compounding pharmacy for an individual prescription after an online clinician review; compounded medicines are not FDA approved, and a prescription is a clinician's decision, never guaranteed.
In our latest read, compounded tirzepatide costs $69 to $349 a month a month month to month across 13 US online programmes (checked 31 October 2026), with a median of $179. The lowest compounded semaglutide price is $41 a month for compounded semaglutide at welludr, an advertised sale price, checked 31 October 2026. Every figure below is read daily from the provider's own page and dated; first month offers are shown beside a row and never used to order it.
| # | Provider | Price | What the price is | Current offer | Checked | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  welludrsemaglutide | $41/mo | Starting at, advertised sale price, per monthPage wording: FRIDAY SALE DISCOUNT APPLIED $41 /mo Semaglutide $71 /mo Tirzepatide | New Customer Offer: $150 off for LifeOffer end date not stated | See pricing | |
| 2 |  Embodysemaglutide | $49/mo | advertised sale price, per monthPage wording: FRIDAY SALE DISCOUNT APPLIED! $49 Semaglutide / $99 Tirzepatide | FRIDAY SALE DISCOUNT APPLIED!Standard price | See pricing | |
| 3 |  REBLsemaglutide | $55/mo | From, ongoing monthly pricePage wording: Treatments from $55/mo | None recorded | ||
| 4 | Co Collectivesemaglutide | $59/mo | ongoing monthly price; plus a required $199 annual membershipPage wording: Compounded Semaglutide $59/mo. Same price, any dose. | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 5 |  SnagRxsemaglutide | $69/mo | advertised sale price, per monthPage wording: PRE-BLACK FRIDAY SALE DISCOUNT APPLIED! Semaglutide for $69 / Tirzepatide for $119 | PRE-BLACK FRIDAY SALE DISCOUNT APPLIED!Standard price | See pricing | |
| 6 |  Eden Healthsemaglutide | $99/mo | ongoing monthly pricePage wording: Semaglutide $99 /mo | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 7 |  GobyMedssemaglutide | $99/mo | Starting at, per month on a prepaid plan: 3-month starter bundle, $299 billedPage wording: Starting at $99/m Compounded Semaglutide 3-Month Starter Bundle ... Total $299 | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 8 |  Trimisemaglutide | $99/mo | per month on a prepaid plan: 12-month plan, $1,188 billedPage wording: Annual plans are $1,188 for semaglutide ($99 per month) or $1,500 for tirzepatide ($125 per month), billed upfront for a 12-month commitment | None recorded | Paused: not currently accepting new patients through our links. See alternatives | |
| 9 |  bmiMDsemaglutide | $119/mo | Starting as low as, ongoing monthly pricePage wording: Compounded Semaglutide Starting as low as $119/mo | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 10 |  Strut Healthsemaglutide | $129/mo | ongoing monthly pricePage wording: SEMAGLUTIDE INJECTABLE $129 Monthly vial | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 11 |  TMatessemaglutide | $158/mo | per month on a prepaid plan: 12 months, $1,900 billedPage wording: 12 Months$158/mo Save 37% $1900 | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 12 |  Bodybuilding.com GLP-1semaglutide | $159.33/mo | per month on a prepaid plan: 3-month bundle, $478 billedPage wording: $159.33/mo on 3-month bundle | First month $179 (standard | See pricing | |
| 13 |  MEDVitirzepatide | $166/mo | advertised sale price, per monthPage wording: FALL Sale: Tirzepatide only $166/mo | FALL SaleOffer end date not stated | See pricing | |
| 14 | ME MEDGmsemaglutide | $169/mo | per month on a prepaid plan: 12-Month Supply, $2,028 billedPage wording: 12-Month Supply Billed every 12 months $2,028 $169/mo | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 15 |  Sprout Healthsemaglutide | $169/mo | Starting at, ongoing monthly pricePage wording: Compounded semaglutide Starting at $169/mo | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 16 |  Fridaystirzepatide | $198/mo | As low as, advertised sale price, per monthPage wording: Tirzepatide: As low as $198/mo | PRICE LOCKED IN FOREVEROffer end date not stated | See pricing | |
| 17 |  Shedsemaglutide | $199/mo | Starting at, ongoing monthly pricePage wording: 1 Month Per Month $199 | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 18 | LH Luvo Healthsemaglutide | $209 | price per 4 weeks, billed every 4 weeksPage wording: 4 weeks of injections, delivered every 4 weeks. $209 from your second delivery. | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 19 |  Wellorithmsemaglutide | $247/mo | ongoing monthly pricePage wording: Compounded semaglutide ongoing (every month) $247 | First month $147Offer end date not stated | See pricing | |
| 20 |  PeterMDtirzepatide | $249/mo | ongoing monthly pricePage wording: Then $249 per month billed quarterly | None recorded | See pricing | |
| 21 |  Foundsemaglutide | $289/mo | ongoing monthly pricePage wording: Compounded semaglutide 1 month $199/mo $289/mo | None recorded | See pricing |
Source: FDA: Declaratory Order: Resolution of Shortages of Semaglutide Injection Products (Ozempic and Wegovy) · United States · Decision 21 February 2025
Source: FDA: Federal Register notice — List of Bulk Drug Substances for Which There Is a Clinical Need Under Section 503B · United States · Published 1 May 2026
For the detail behind these rows, see what compounded tirzepatide costs (range, median, plans and this month's changes), the cheapest GLP-1 online ranking, our tirzepatide explainer, and the best online GLP-1 programs by use case.
Frequently asked questions
Is retatrutide FDA approved?
No. Retatrutide is an investigational medicine. Eli Lilly's own releases say it is not approved for any use and cannot legally be sold or marketed for human use, and that Lilly plans to submit its application to the FDA in the first quarter of 2027. No approval decision can come before that application is filed and reviewed.
Is retatrutide available now, anywhere?
Not by prescription. Outside a clinical trial there is no legal way to be prescribed retatrutide in the United States or anywhere else, because no regulator has approved it. Websites selling "retatrutide" are selling an unregulated research-chemical product, which the FDA has called an unapproved new drug in a warning letter. We do not list, link or review any seller.
When is the retatrutide release date?
There is no release date. The only timeline Lilly has given is that it plans to file with the FDA in the first quarter of 2027. The FDA then reviews the application, which typically takes months, and a launch would follow an approval. Any site that gives a firm release date is guessing.
How much will retatrutide cost?
Nobody knows, because there is no approved product and Lilly has not announced a price. The nearest reference is Lilly's own brand-name tirzepatide, Zepbound: Lilly publishes its self-pay prices on LillyDirect, and the lowest Zepbound cash price in our daily read is $299 a month at Hims (checked 31 October 2026). Treat any retatrutide price list as a warning sign, not a quote.
Retatrutide vs tirzepatide: what is the difference?
Tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) acts on two receptors, GLP-1 and GIP, and is an FDA approved medicine you can be prescribed today. Retatrutide acts on three, GLP-1, GIP and glucagon, and is investigational. Its Phase 3 trials reported larger average weight loss than tirzepatide's did in its own trials, but the two have not been compared head to head in a published trial; Lilly's TRIUMPH-5 study is running that comparison. Cross-trial comparisons are unreliable because the trials enrolled different people under different rules.
What can I get today instead?
In the US, licensed telehealth programmes prescribe compounded tirzepatide and compounded semaglutide after an online clinician review. In our latest read, compounded tirzepatide runs $69 to $349 a month a month month to month (checked 31 October 2026), and the lowest compounded semaglutide price is $41 a month for compounded semaglutide at welludr, an advertised sale price, checked 31 October 2026. Brand-name Zepbound and Wegovy are the FDA approved options. Compounded medicines are not FDA approved; whether any of them suits you is a clinical decision.
Sources
Each numbered reference in the text points to one of these. The date is the day we read the source; trial figures are quoted as the source reports them.
- Eli Lilly press release, 21 May 2026: TRIUMPH-1 topline results (NCT05929066). investor.lilly.com. Read 29 October 2026.
- Eli Lilly press release, 23 July 2026: TRIUMPH-2 and TRIUMPH-3 topline results, and the plan to file with the FDA in Q1 2027. lilly.gcs-web.com. Read 29 October 2026.
- Eli Lilly press release, 29 September 2026: TRIUMPH-2 full results presented at EASD and published in The Lancet. investor.lilly.com. Read 29 October 2026.
- Lilly Medical: retatrutide clinical trials in people with obesity or overweight (TRIUMPH-1 to TRIUMPH-9 and TRIUMPH-Outcomes, with NCT numbers), last reviewed 11 February 2026. medical.lilly.com. Read 29 October 2026.
- Jastreboff AM et al. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity: A Phase 2 Trial. New England Journal of Medicine, published online 26 June 2023 (doi 10.1056/NEJMoa2301972). www.nejm.org. Read 29 October 2026.
- FDA warning letter to Prime Vitality, Inc. dba Prime Peptides, 10 December 2024: retatrutide and semaglutide sold online as "research" products are unapproved new drugs. www.fda.gov. Read 29 October 2026.
- LillyDirect: Zepbound self-pay pricing page (Lilly's own published prices for brand-name tirzepatide). lilly.com. Read 29 October 2026.
This page is information, not medical advice. It does not recommend retatrutide or any other medicine, and it gives no dosing guidance. Talk to a licensed clinician about what is appropriate for you.