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

Eli Lilly and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have granted access to the experimental obesity drug retatrutide to a single patient through the FDA's "compassionate use" program. This program provides experimental treatments to individuals with serious, life-threatening medical conditions. The recipient, a 79-year-old man at the time of his April request, was granted access to the drug, which has shown significant weight loss results comparable to bariatric surgery in clinical trials. The decision to grant access to this specific patient has reportedly attracted the attention of high-level health officials, suggesting the individual may have had influential connections. Millions of Americans are anticipating the FDA's approval of retatrutide for broader public use, with many seeking to obtain the drug through unofficial channels while awaiting official authorization.