Medicine status
Retatrutide in Canada
An experimental medicine with large trial results and no approval anywhere yet.
Retatrutide is an experimental weekly injection from Eli Lilly. It acts on three hormone receptors at once (GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon), where semaglutide acts on one and tirzepatide on two. It has drawn attention because the trials reported larger average weight loss than the medicines authorized in Canada today.
Retatrutide is not approved in Canada or in any other country. Health Canada has warned people not to inject peptides bought online, and named retatrutide in that warning A-C13. Anything sold today as retatrutide is not an authorized product, and what is in the vial is unknown.
Where it stands
- Not approved anywhere. Lilly's Canadian safety statement describes retatrutide as investigational A-C13.
- Not under review in Canada. Retatrutide is not on Health Canada's list of submissions under review R43-C05.
- US filing planned. Lilly says it plans to submit retatrutide to the US FDA in the first quarter of 2027 R43-C06. A Canadian submission would be a separate step, and no Canadian timeline has been published.
So the honest answer to "when will retatrutide be approved in Canada" is that nobody can say yet.
What the trials found
| Trial | Who took part | Length | Weight change | With placebo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRIUMPH-1 | 2339 adults with obesity, no diabetes | 80 weeks | -17.6% (4 mg), -23.7% (9 mg), -25.0% (12 mg) R33-C01 | -3.9% |
| TRIUMPH-2 | 1152 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes | 80 weeks | -11.9% (4 mg), -16.8% (9 mg), -18.8% (12 mg) R33-C04 | -5.1% |
| TRIUMPH-3 (company results only) | Severe obesity with heart disease | 80 weeks | -21.6% (9 mg), -22.6% (12 mg) R43-C07 | -3.2% |
| TRIUMPH-4 (company results only) | Obesity with knee osteoarthritis | 68 weeks | -26.4% (9 mg), -28.7% (12 mg) R43-C08 | -2.1% |
TRIUMPH-1 and TRIUMPH-2 are published in medical journals and count everyone who was randomized. TRIUMPH-3 and TRIUMPH-4 are company announcements that have not been through peer review yet, and company figures can count only the people who kept taking the medicine, which makes them look larger.
TRIUMPH-1 also found less knee pain in people with knee osteoarthritis and fewer breathing pauses during sleep in people with sleep apnea R33-C02 R33-C03.
Side effects
In TRIUMPH-2, diarrhea and nausea were the most common side effects, and some people had low blood pressure or an unusual skin sensation called dysesthesia R33-C06. Stopping because of side effects or death happened in 4% to 12% of the retatrutide groups, against 5% on placebo R33-C05. A 2026 analysis that pooled many trials found, with low certainty, that more people stopped retatrutide than some other medicines R33-C13.
All the retatrutide studies on this site
- Retatrutide phase 2: weight change over 48 weeks
- Retatrutide in type 2 diabetes: a 36-week phase 2 trial
- Retatrutide and liver fat
- Retatrutide and body fat in type 2 diabetes
- TRANSCEND-T2D-1: retatrutide alone in early type 2 diabetes
- TRIUMPH-1: weight loss over 80 weeks
- TRIUMPH-2: obesity with type 2 diabetes
For the medicines that are authorized in Canada now, see Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro and Zepbound compared.
Common questions
Is retatrutide approved in Canada?
No. It is not approved in Canada or anywhere else, and it is not under review at Health Canada A-C13 R43-C05.
When will retatrutide be approved in Canada?
No date exists. Lilly plans a US submission in early 2027 R43-C06; a Canadian submission would be a separate step.
Is it safe to buy retatrutide online?
Health Canada has warned people not to inject peptides bought online and named retatrutide in that warning A-C13. Products sold online are not authorized.
How much weight did people lose on retatrutide?
In TRIUMPH-1, average weight change over 80 weeks was -17.6% to -25.0% depending on the dose, against -3.9% with placebo R33-C01.
Evidence records behind this page
Each record is a row in the clinical evidence file, taken from the published paper named above. The caution column is the limit the researcher recorded for that number.
This table scrolls sideways.
| Record | What the paper reports | Type | Population | Caution | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R33-C01 | In TRIUMPH-1 (2339 adults with obesity without diabetes), mean 80-week body-weight change was -17.6%, -23.7% and -25.0% with retatrutide 4, 9 and 12 mg weekly versus -3.9% with placebo; differences versus placebo were -19.8 and -21.0 percentage points for 9 and 12 mg (P<0.001). | direct evidence | Adults with obesity without diabetes | Treatment-regimen (ITT) estimand. Abstract gives no confidence intervals, discontinuation or adverse event rates. Manufacturer-funded. Abstract-only. As of October 2026 retatrutide is not approved anywhere; Health Canada warned on 2026-04-09 about unauthorized peptides sold online including retatrutide. | PubMed 42814954 |
| R33-C04 | In TRIUMPH-2 (1152 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes), mean 80-week body-weight change was -11.9%, -16.8% and -18.8% with retatrutide 4, 9 and 12 mg versus -5.1% with placebo; estimated treatment differences were -6.9% (95% CI -8.7 to -5.1), -11.8% (-13.7 to -9.8) and -13.8% (-15.8 to -11.8). | direct evidence | Adults with T2D (HbA1c 6.5 to 10.5%) and BMI at least 27, on diet/exercise or up to three oral glucose-lowering medicines | Treatment-regimen estimand with multiple imputation. HbA1c results not given numerically in abstract. Manufacturer-funded. Abstract-only. As of October 2026 retatrutide is not approved anywhere; Health Canada warned on 2026-04-09 about unauthorized peptides sold online including retatrutide. | PubMed 42810372 |
| R33-C02 | In the 574 TRIUMPH-1 participants with knee osteoarthritis, WOMAC pain score change was -3.2, -3.5 and -3.6 with retatrutide 4, 9 and 12 mg versus -1.9 with placebo (hybrid estimand; differences -1.6 and -1.8 for 9 and 12 mg), and -3.4, -3.9 and -4.1 versus -2.5 by ITT (differences -1.4 and -1.6); all P<0.001. | direct evidence | Adults with obesity without diabetes and knee osteoarthritis (subgroup) | Subgroup of 574. Abstract describes the WOMAC pain score as ranging from 1 to 10; scale not verified against full text. Primary analysis used a hybrid-treatment estimand. Abstract-only. As of October 2026 retatrutide is not approved anywhere; Health Canada warned on 2026-04-09 about unauthorized peptides sold online including retatrutide. | PubMed 42814954 |
| R33-C03 | In the 243 TRIUMPH-1 participants with obstructive sleep apnea, apnea-hypopnea index change by ITT was -22.8, -34.3 and -32.1 events per hour with retatrutide 4, 9 and 12 mg versus -9.6 with placebo (differences -24.7 and -22.5 for 9 and 12 mg; both P<0.001); hybrid-estimand differences were -24.4 and -21.9. | direct evidence | Adults with obesity without diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (subgroup) | Subgroup of 243. The abstract prints the hybrid-estimand 12 mg value as 31.7 (no minus sign), apparently a typographical error; group-level hybrid values not used. Abstract-only. As of October 2026 retatrutide is not approved anywhere; Health Canada warned on 2026-04-09 about unauthorized peptides sold online including retatrutide. | PubMed 42814954 |
| R33-C06 | In TRIUMPH-2, hypotension occurred in 1%, 5% and 6% of retatrutide 4, 9 and 12 mg groups versus under 1% with placebo, and dysesthesia in 4%, 6% and 7% versus 1%; diarrhoea (27%, 34%, 34% vs 13%) and nausea (14%, 21%, 28% vs 8%) were the most frequent adverse events. | direct evidence | Adults with T2D (HbA1c 6.5 to 10.5%) and BMI at least 27 | Dysesthesia characteristics, duration and resolution not described in abstract. Safety denominators differ slightly from randomized numbers. Abstract-only. As of October 2026 retatrutide is not approved anywhere; Health Canada warned on 2026-04-09 about unauthorized peptides sold online including retatrutide. | PubMed 42810372 |
| R33-C05 | In TRIUMPH-2, permanent treatment discontinuation due to adverse events or death occurred in 4% (4 mg), 12% (9 mg) and 8% (12 mg) of retatrutide groups versus 5% with placebo. | direct evidence | Adults with T2D (HbA1c 6.5 to 10.5%) and BMI at least 27 | Outcome combines adverse events and death. Rates are not dose-ordered (9 mg higher than 12 mg). 965 of 1152 (84%) completed study drug. Abstract-only. As of October 2026 retatrutide is not approved anywhere; Health Canada warned on 2026-04-09 about unauthorized peptides sold online including retatrutide. | PubMed 42810372 |
| R33-C13 | In the same network meta-analysis, low certainty evidence suggested higher treatment discontinuation with danuglipron and retatrutide, whereas mazdutide showed better tolerability. | cross-trial context | Adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes | No numbers in abstract. Full text reports network inconsistency for discontinuation due to adverse events. Danuglipron and mazdutide not authorized in Canada; retatrutide not approved anywhere as of October 2026. | PubMed 42688617 |
Sources for this page
Every claim ID below is a row in the evidence ledger. The source date is the date the source itself carries; the access date is when the researcher opened it. A claim with several rows is one claim with several sources, not several confirmations.
This table scrolls sideways.
| Claim | What the source says | Source | Source date | Accessed | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-C13 source 1 of 4 | Orforglipron accepted January 2026 and cagrilintide/semaglutide March 2026 under review | canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drug-health-product-r... | List through 2026-07; submission months 2026-01 and 2026-03 | 2026-09-16 | regulator-confirmed |
| A-C13 source 2 of 4 | Additional semaglutide/liraglutide generic submissions remain under review | canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drug-health-product-r... | 2026 current list | 2026-09-16 | regulator-confirmed |
| A-C13 source 3 of 4 | Unauthorized peptide alert includes retatrutide | recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall/think-twice-inj... | 2026-04-09 | 2026-09-16 | regulator-confirmed |
| A-C13 source 4 of 4 | Lilly describes retatrutide as investigational in Canadian safety statement | lilly.com/en-ca/news/press-releases/retatrutide-canadian-... | 2026-08-13 | 2026-09-16 | company self-report |
| R43-C05 | Retatrutide does not appear on Health Canada's new drug submissions under review list. | canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drug-health-product-r... | page modified 2026-09-24 | 2026-10-04 | regulator-confirmed |
| R43-C06 | Eli Lilly says it plans to submit retatrutide to the US FDA in the first quarter of 2027, after the TRIUMPH-1 and TRIUMPH-2 publications. | investor.lilly.com/node/54981 | 2026-09-29 | 2026-10-04 | company self-report |
| R43-C07 | Lilly topline results: TRIUMPH-3 (severe obesity with cardiovascular disease, 80 weeks) weight change -21.6% at 9 mg and -22.6% at 12 mg versus -3.2% with placebo; not yet published in a journal. | investor.lilly.com/node/54736 | 2026-07-23 | 2026-10-04 | company self-report |
| R43-C08 | Lilly topline results: TRIUMPH-4 (knee osteoarthritis, 68 weeks) weight change -26.4% at 9 mg and -28.7% at 12 mg versus -2.1% with placebo. | investor.lilly.com/node/53536 | 2025-12-11 | 2026-10-04 | company self-report |