Mysterious request for unapproved drug raising questions about Trump’s health

Retatrutide, a new weight-loss drug, has yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But according to STAT News source, a "79-year-old man" requested access to it in April; sources indicate that the man might have been President Donald Trump. And the Daily Kos' Emily C. Singer is arguing that STAT's reporting shows that Trump is "lying about is health."

"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," journalist Lizzy Lawrence reports. "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."

Lawrence continues, "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."

Trump was 79 in April and turned 80 on June 14.

According to Lawrence, Ranganath Muniyappa — a senior clinician at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — "requested the drug to treat the patient for refractory obesity with obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, a severe version of the disease."

"STAT does not know who the patient is," Lawrence reports. "But given the patient demographics and the unusual nature of the application, STAT asked the White House whether the patient was President Trump, who turned 80 a week ago, is overweight, and has expressed interest in obesity drugs. White House spokesperson Kush Desai directed STAT's inquiry to the Health and Human Services Department. In response to STAT's question about whether Trump has obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension, Desai said a White House memo detailing Trump's most recent medical evaluation 'covers this.' The memo makes no mention of obstructive sleep apnea or pulmonary hypertension."

On X, formerly Twitter, STAT News' Adam Feuerstein posted a link to Lawrence's article — noting, "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.'"

Singer, in response to Feuerstein's post, tweeted, "After reading this, Trump unquestionably used his position of power to get retatrutide when the rest of us mere mortals cannot. AND it shows he's lying about his health."

According to Jamy Ard, chief science officer at Advocate Health, "compassionate use" requests are "usually reserved for terminal illness" — not something like trying to lose weight.

Ard told STAT News, "Often, it's something that may have a marginal pathway towards approval, or a really long time toward approval."

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