Ozempic has become a blockbuster medication thanks to its ability to help people lose weight, but another Type 2 diabetes treatment is poised to challenge the drug in the weight-loss arena.
Tirzepatide, which is sold under the brand name Mounjaro, has now shown striking results in two clinical trials.
The once-weekly injectable prescription medication helped obese or overweight people with Type 2 diabetes lose up to 15% of their body weight, or 34 pounds, drug maker Eli Lilly announced on Apr. 27.
That compares to a 3% weight loss, or 7 pounds on average, for patients taking a placebo, according to the trial results. The study followed more than 900 adults who were randomly assigned to get either a placebo or one of two dose strengths of tirzepatide for 17 months.
Weight loss can be hard for people with diabetes because of the way their body responds to insulin, so the medication could be “extremely helpful” for patients with Type 2 diabetes who need to slim down, Dr. Shauna Levy, medical director of the Tulane Bariatric Center in New Orleans, told NBC News. She was not involved in the trial.
Striking weight loss
The results come less than a year after another trial found tirzepatide helped overweight or obese patients without diabetes lose up to almost a quarter of their body weight, or 22%, after 17 months compared to a 2% weight loss with a placebo.
Those are the kinds of results doctors see with gastric bypass surgery, NBC news medical contributor Dr. Natalie Azar said when the findings were released.
“We need this tool in the toolbox,” she noted. “It’s so important and so relevant. The majority of Americans are either overweight or obese.”
In comparison, Wegovy, the version of Ozempic approved for weight loss by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, helped patients lose an average of 12% of their initial body weight after 16 months compared to those who received placebo.
When asked if patients have to keep taking the drug to maintain weight loss, Eli…
Read the full article here
