Eli Lilly gave extraordinary obesity drug access to a 79-year-old patient. Who was it? [View all]

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Source: STATnews

Eli Lilly gave extraordinary obesity drug access to a 79-year-old patient. Who was it?

Sources point to a single instance in which experimental therapy retatrutide was provided for 'compassionate use'

Alex Hogan/STAT

By Lizzy Lawrence June 23, 2026
FDA Reporter

WASHINGTON -- Millions of Americans with obesity are eagerly awaiting a powerful new drug from Eli Lilly called retatrutide, which has demonstrated bariatric-surgery levels of weight loss. Some aren't even waiting for approval from the Food and Drug Administration, instead racing to acquire it through sketchy means.

But STAT has learned that Eli Lilly and the FDA have allowed one person to gain access to the drug through the FDA's "compassionate use" program, a pathway that gives patients with serious and immediately life-threatening medical issues access to experimental treatments.

This person was a 79-year-old man at the time the request was made in April, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Those sources, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals, said it drew the interest of top health officials, suggesting the person receiving this drug was well connected.

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Read more: https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/23/eli-lilly-unusual-weight-loss-drug-trial-compassionate-use-retatrutide-trump/

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Reposted by Kevin M. Kruse
https://bsky.app/profile/kevinmkruse.bsky.social

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Eric Columbus
‪@ericcolumbus.bsky.social‬

Author asks if the patient was Trump — the White House won’t say.

‪Lizzy Lawrence‬
‪@lizzylawrence.bsky.social‬
· 1h
EXCLUSIVE: Eli Lilly gave compassionate use access to retatrutide, their unapproved powerful obesity drug, to a 79-year-old man in April. The application was arranged by a top doctor at NIH, and cleared by the FDA. www.statnews.com/2026/06/23/e...

Eli Lilly gave extraordinary obesity drug access to a 79-year-old patient. Who was it?
Exclusive: STAT has learned that Eli Lilly and the FDA allowed a 79-year-old to gain extraordinary access to an experimental obesity drug through the agency’s “compassionate use” program.
www.statnews.com
9:02 AM · Jun 23, 2026
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Author asks if the patient was Trump — the White House won’t say.

— Eric Columbus (@ericcolumbus.bsky.social) 2026-06-23T13:02:45.206Z