Speculation is rife in the United States that President Donald Trump – who is allegedly being seen by 22 doctors – might be taking Eli Lilly’s obesity drug retatrutide, reports Huff Post.
The medication, which has not yet been approved by the FDA, is an experimental “triple-G” treatment to regulate appetite, increase fat metabolism, and improve insulin sensitivity. It is in late-stage phase 3 clinical trials and has shown promise for producing significant weight loss and treating metabolic diseases.
According to reports, one 79-year-old man in the country was granted FDA access via “compassionate use” to the drug, and allegedly, the only person – who was 79 at the time of his application in April – was Trump, whose application was personally overseen by a senior doctor at the National Institutes of Health and subsequently approved by the FDA.
Three anonymous sources flagged the highly unusual approval to Stat News, which described the applicant as “well connected”.
However, the White House has denied the reports.
The experimental drug is administered via weekly injection once a week. Apart from obesity, and type 2 diabetes, Lilly is also considering retatrutide for knee osteoarthritis pain, moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea, chronic low back pain, cardiovascular and renal outcomes, and chronic liver disease.
According to Stat, the patient in question sought the drug for refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnoea and pulmonary hypertension.
Trump, who recently turned 80, has expressed an interest in weight-loss drugs and anecdotally, has been spotted dozing off in the Oval Office and during Cabinet meetings, which would appear consistent with sleep apnoea – which may cause daytime sleepiness among other symptoms
He has apparently also had three “annual” physical exams in the past 13 months, including an MRI last October, but couldn’t say why.
Asked for comment on the possibility that Trump pulled strings to gain access to an unapproved drug, White House Deputy Press Secretary Desai Kush said that “this application was not for the President”.
Despite that denial, Trump has a history of seeking out rare medical treatments for both himself and his allies. He was approved for experimental use of Regeneron after he contracted Covid-19 during his first term – also as a “compassionate use case”.
Compassionate use is typically reserved for individuals “with serious or life-threatening conditions, who have exhausted all available medical options and do not qualify for clinical trials”, according to Lilly.
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