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According to president Donald Trump’s annual medical exam, results of which were released last month, the 80-year-old’s body mass index is close to the threshold for clinical obesity. His doctor has also recommended more exercise and wean off his daily aspirin intake.
The president’s health has long been a source of rampant speculation, from theories that he had suffered a stroke earlier this year to mysterious bruising on both of his hands, which the White House dismissed as being the result of “shaking hands all day every day.”
Trump also is known to have a strong preference for fast food and has an “absurd” 2,430-calorie McDonald’s order.
Now, Stat is reporting that a single unidentified man, who was 79 years old back in April, gained access to a still-unapproved weight loss drug called retatrutide before anybody else — and while the publication was unable to confirm his actual identity, circumstantial evidence makes it hard to ignore the possibility that it could have been president Trump, who turned 80 on June 14.
According to Stat‘s sources, the case “drew the interest of top health officials, suggesting the person receiving the drug was well connected.”
The patient gained access to the drug through the FDA’s “compassionate use” program, which is usually reserved for patients with serious and life-threatening medical issues, per Stat.
Adding to the intrigue, the White House’s Health and Human Services department was strangely vague and never outright denied the theory when Stat reached out. After the story came out, though, White House spokesperson Kush Desai stridently refuted the suggestion, writing that “this application was not for the President.”
Retatrutide, which was developed by drugmaker Eli Lilly, is being touted as the “next generation in the GLP-1 craze.” Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) are a class of medications that include semaglutide (sold as Ozempic) and tirzepatide (sold as Zepbound). The treatments have been shown to not only treat Type 2 diabetes, but effectively promote weight loss as well, along with a constellation of other health benefits.
Retatrutide has yet to be deemed safe and effective by the FDA, despite being for sale on the internet through sketchy online vendors.
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