TheMadLionsFan
Out chea thuggin in my home office.
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’
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.
Senior NIH clinician Ranganath MuniyappaNIH
A senior clinician at the National Institutes of Health named Ranganath Muniyappa requested the drug to treat the patient for refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, a severe version of the disease. Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the lungs, which can be life-threatening.
STAT does not know who the patient is. But given the patient demographics and the unusual nature of the application, STAT asked the White House multiple times whether the patient was President Trump, who turned 80 a week ago, is overweight, and has expressed interest in obesity drugs.
www.statnews.com
Sources point to a single instance in which experimental therapy retatrutide was provided for ‘compassionate use’
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.
Senior NIH clinician Ranganath MuniyappaNIH
A senior clinician at the National Institutes of Health named Ranganath Muniyappa requested the drug to treat the patient for refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, a severe version of the disease. Pulmonary hypertension is high blood pressure in the lungs, which can be life-threatening.
STAT does not know who the patient is. But given the patient demographics and the unusual nature of the application, STAT asked the White House multiple times whether the patient was President Trump, who turned 80 a week ago, is overweight, and has expressed interest in obesity drugs.
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