Eli Lilly to offer retatrutide access given earlier to just one patient

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Six weeks after STAT reported that Eli Lilly granted a single 79-year-old patient special access to retatrutide, an unapproved obesity drug, the company confirmed on Monday that it will allow other patients to apply for early access. 

The announcement comes after STAT asked Lilly about the requests for expanded access from a handful of doctors who had not yet received a reply from the drugmaker. It marks a striking change in the public posture of the pharmaceutical giant, which had previously offered little information about the special access program. 

“For a limited number of patients who meet specific medical criteria and cannot enroll in a clinical trial, we believe it is medically appropriate to make authentic retatrutide available before FDA approval, consistent with FDA’s guidance,” a Lilly spokesperson told STAT. The company said it is actively reviewing requests from health care providers.