How much did liver fat change?
The substudy included 98 participants with at least 10% liver fat at baseline, drawn from the phase 2 obesity trial. Its primary endpoint was relative liver-fat change at 24 weeks.
| Study arm | Liver-fat change |
|---|---|
| Retatrutide 1 mg | −42.9% |
| Retatrutide 4 mg | −57.0% |
| Retatrutide 8 mg | −81.4% |
| Retatrutide 12 mg | −82.4% |
| Placebo | +0.3% |
Does 82.4% mean 82.4% body-fat loss?
No. It is a relative change in liver fat measured by imaging. For illustration, reducing a liver-fat measurement from 20% by 82.4% gives 3.52%. That is a 16.48-percentage-point change, not a change in total body fat.
What do the liver-fat results establish?
At week 24, 86% of the 12 mg group reached liver fat below 5%, versus none receiving placebo. This does not prove prevention of cirrhosis or other long-term complications. The study was small, follow-up imaging was incomplete and Lilly funded it. Benefits must be considered alongside adverse events reported in the parent trial.
Sources and further reading
This guide summarises selected sources. Original publications contain the full methods, results and disclosures; the selection is not a systematic review.
- Retatrutide for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a randomized phase 2a trial (external)
Sanyal et al. Nature Medicine (2024), 30:2037–2048. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03018-2. MRI liver-fat analysis.
Continue exploring
- Retatrutide weight loss: 48-week trial results
- Retatrutide fat loss: body-composition study explained
- Retatrutide research: trials, outcomes and limitations
Published study records · Quality documentation · Research peptide catalogue