Approved formulations exist
Semaglutide
GLP-1
A GLP-1 receptor agonist used in approved prescription medications for diabetes and/or weight management, depending on formulation and brand.
Next-Generation Weight Management · Austin
Retatrutide in Austin: What to Know About the Next-Generation Triple Agonist
Retatrutide has become one of the most talked-about medications in weight-management research. Unlike semaglutide or tirzepatide, retatrutide acts on three hormone-receptor pathways—GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon.
Here's what the research shows, how it differs from today's established options, and what Austin patients should understand when considering their next step.
$50 consultation fee waived for new patients who submit the form.
Availability in Austin
What Is Retatrutide?
Retatrutide is an investigational once-weekly medication being developed by Eli Lilly. It activates GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptors and is often described as a “triple agonist.”
Retatrutide is still investigational and is not FDA approved. If you are interested in it, start with a one-on-one Weight & Wellness consultation—your health history, goals and the most appropriate options are reviewed with Grace's medical team.
Complimentary consultation
Discuss Your Weight-Loss Options
Complete this quick form to unlock a complimentary one-on-one consultation and customized treatment plan—a $50 value, waived for new patients who submit the form.
Mechanism and approval status
Retatrutide vs. Tirzepatide vs. Semaglutide
“GLP-3” is an informal nickname, not a scientific classification. Retatrutide is more accurately described as a triple agonist because it targets GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptors.
Approved formulations exist
Tirzepatide
GIP + GLP-1
A dual-receptor agonist used in approved prescription medications.
Investigational
Retatrutide
GIP + GLP-1 + glucagon
A triple agonist currently being evaluated in late-stage clinical trials.
Separate trials do not prove that one medication is universally better.
Study populations, designs, doses, durations, starting weights and medical conditions differ. Receptor count and reported percentages cannot determine which approved option is appropriate for an individual.
Your practical next step
How Grace Approaches Weight Management
A useful plan considers more than the newest medication.
Grace focuses on the treatment strategy that fits your goals and the body-composition changes that may happen while weight comes off.
01Medical assessment
02Current prescription weight-management options
03InBody body-composition tracking
04Protein-forward nutrition guidance
05Hydration
06Lean-mass awareness
07Resistance exercise
08Follow-up
09Planning for facial and body changes during substantial weight loss
Schedule a Weight & Wellness Consultation
$50 consultation fee waived for new patients who submit the form.
Explore Weight & WellnessPhase 3 evidence
Latest Retatrutide Research — Updated October 2026
On September 29, 2026, TRIUMPH-1 was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and TRIUMPH-2 in The Lancet. Headline figures for TRIUMPH-1 and TRIUMPH-2 are the journals' peer-reviewed treatment-regimen averages at 80 weeks, with Lilly's separate efficacy-estimand figures labeled underneath; TRIUMPH-3 is Lilly-reported. None are predictions or guarantees for any individual. Results in people with diabetes should not be generalized to people without diabetes, and vice versa.
TRIUMPH-1
Phase 325.0%
12 mg · NEJM treatment-regimen estimand
2,339 adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related condition, without diabetes · NEJM
NEJM treatment-regimen: 4 mg 17.6% · 9 mg 23.7% · 12 mg 25.0% · placebo 3.9%. Lilly efficacy estimand: 4 mg 19.0% · 9 mg 25.9% · 12 mg 28.3% (about 70.3 lb)
Read the TRIUMPH-1 sourceTRIUMPH-2
Phase 318.8%
12 mg · Lancet treatment-regimen estimand
1,152 adults with obesity or overweight and type 2 diabetes · The Lancet · A1C also improved
Lancet treatment-regimen: 4 mg 11.9% · 9 mg 16.8% · 12 mg 18.8% · placebo 5.1%. Lilly efficacy estimand: 4 mg 12.7% · 9 mg 19.1% · 12 mg 20.8% (about 49.6 lb)
Read the TRIUMPH-2 sourceTRIUMPH-3
Phase 322.6%
up to about 55.8 lb
Adults with severe obesity and established cardiovascular disease, with or without type 2 diabetes
12 mg group · Lilly-reported average at 80 weeks (topline announcement; not yet peer reviewed)
Read the TRIUMPH-3 sourceReading the headlines
Why Do Different Articles Report Different Retatrutide Numbers?
Different trials enrolled different people—TRIUMPH-1 studied adults without diabetes, TRIUMPH-2 adults with type 2 diabetes—so their averages differ. Trials can also be analyzed in more than one way. An efficacy estimand focuses on the effect while people follow the intended treatment; a treatment-regimen estimand includes outcomes regardless of discontinuation.
TRIUMPH-1 · adults without diabetes
28.3%
12 mg · efficacy estimand (Lilly)
25.0%
12 mg · treatment-regimen estimand (NEJM)
3.9%
placebo · treatment-regimen estimand (NEJM)
TRIUMPH-2 · adults with type 2 diabetes
20.8%
12 mg · efficacy estimand (Lilly)
18.8%
12 mg · treatment-regimen estimand (The Lancet)
5.1%
placebo · treatment-regimen estimand (The Lancet)
This happens in both major Phase 3 trials. Seeing 28.3% and 25.0%—or 20.8% and 18.8%—for the same trial doesn't mean either is wrong; they answer slightly different questions. The higher efficacy-estimand figures are not the only peer-reviewed results.
Interest vs. evidence
Why Is Retatrutide Getting So Much Attention?
Interest and evidence are not the same thing.
Grace's goal is to help people distinguish published evidence, clinical-trial findings, online claims and individual medical decisions.
- 01A three-receptor mechanism
- 02Strong Lilly-reported Phase 3 topline findings
- 03Substantial social-media discussion
- 04Interest from people familiar with semaglutide and tirzepatide
- 05Research across multiple obesity-related conditions
Online products
What About Retatrutide Being Sold Online?
Products advertised online as “research peptides” or “retatrutide” are not the same thing as participation in Lilly's clinical development program. FDA states that retatrutide is not an approved drug and has specifically advised that it cannot be used in compounding under federal law.
Unapproved products do not undergo FDA review for safety, effectiveness and quality. This page does not provide acquisition, mixing, dosing or self-injection instructions.
Safety context
What Side Effects Have Been Reported in Retatrutide Studies?
In the Phase 3 trials, reported adverse events were predominantly gastrointestinal. The TRIUMPH-2 publication also reported dysesthesia (altered skin sensation) and hypotension more often than with placebo. Commonly reported symptoms included:
Nausea
Diarrhea
Vomiting
Constipation
This is not a complete list. Study safety findings do not determine an individual's candidacy or risk. Treatment decisions belong in a discussion with an appropriate medical professional.
Beyond the scale
What Happens After You Lose the Weight?
Losing significant weight can change your health and your body composition, but weight loss is not targeted fat reduction. You can't choose where your body loses fat first—or which areas hold onto localized fullness. Substantial weight loss can also make pre-existing skin laxity, facial volume loss or reduced muscle definition more noticeable.
At Grace, overall weight comes first. As weight approaches a stable range, the question changes from “How do I lose weight?” to “What is actually left?”—localized fat, loose skin, facial changes or muscle tone.
Overall weight & metabolic health
Address overall weight first with a physician-guided plan.
Body composition & lean mass
Track fat mass, lean mass and water—not just scale weight.
Facial changes after weight loss
Volume loss and laxity can become more noticeable.
Loose or crepey skin
Medication doesn't tighten skin; laxity is assessed separately.
Face & neck laxity
Jawline and neck changes after significant weight loss.
Localized fat that remains
Stubborn pockets once weight is stable—not a weight-loss substitute.
Body contouring is not a substitute for medical weight loss. General peptide questions are covered on Peptide & Wellness.
Beyond the scale
Weight Lost Doesn't Always Mean Fat Lost
Scale weight alone cannot tell you how much of a change came from fat mass, lean tissue or water. That's why Grace's broader weight-management philosophy includes body-composition monitoring rather than relying on scale weight alone.
The face during weight loss
What Happens to the Face During Major Weight Loss?
Significant weight reduction may make facial volume loss, skin laxity, jawline change and neck laxity more noticeable in some people. Those concerns are associated primarily with substantial weight loss rather than one medication or brand.
Start with education
Interested in Retatrutide? Start With the Right Questions.
Emerging research is not a candidate checklist. A useful conversation starts with evidence and your larger weight-management goals.
Schedule a Weight & Wellness Consultation
$50 consultation fee waived for new patients who submit the form.
- 01How is retatrutide different from current options?
- 02What does the clinical evidence actually show?
- 03What weight-management treatments are available today?
- 04How should lean mass be monitored during substantial weight loss?
- 05What should I be doing with protein, nutrition and resistance exercise?
- 06What should I know about newer medications still in development?
Direct answers
Retatrutide Questions, Answered
Evidence & further reading
Last reviewed and updated: October 2026. Regulatory status was checked against FDA materials; Phase 3 figures against the September 29, 2026 NEJM and Lancet publications and Lilly's official announcements.
- FDA’s Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight LossU.S. Food & Drug Administration
- Bulk Drug Substances Used in CompoundingU.S. Food & Drug Administration
- Retatrutide, a Triple Hormone Receptor Agonist, for Treatment of Obesity (TRIUMPH-1)New England Journal of Medicine · peer reviewed · September 29, 2026 · DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2604169
- Retatrutide in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes (TRIUMPH-2): a phase 3 trialThe Lancet · peer reviewed · September 29, 2026 · DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(26)01861-1
- TRIUMPH-1 Phase 3 ResultsEli Lilly · official announcement
- TRIUMPH-2 and TRIUMPH-3 Phase 3 ResultsEli Lilly · official announcement
- Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for ObesityNew England Journal of Medicine · Phase 2, peer reviewed
- Retatrutide Phase 3 Trial RecordClinicalTrials.gov
Weight Management Is Moving Fast
Understand the Research. Explore Your Options.
Interested in where weight-loss medicine is heading? Start with what is available and appropriate for you today.
New weight-management treatments are developing quickly. Grace can help you understand how emerging therapies compare with today's options while keeping the focus on your individual goals, body composition and overall plan.
$50 consultation fee waived for new patients who submit the form.
Visit
Northland Drive, Central Austin
Grace MedSpa and Body Solutions treats patients from one Austin location, convenient to Northwest Hills, Allandale, Rosedale and the Domain. Patients also visit from West Lake Hills and Lakeway.
Hours
- Monday – Friday
- 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday – Sunday
- Closed