While the diabetes drug Ozempic has taken the weight loss world by storm, there is another option that may prove even more effective.
The drug in question is tirzepatide, developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company. It is marketed under the brand name Mounjaro.
While both drugs reduce hunger signals to the brain, helping people eat less, they operate through different mechanisms and thus work slightly differently.
Tirzepatide mimics two gut hormones in the body, GIP and GLP-1, whereas semaglutide mimics only GLP-1. Both drugs boost insulin and suppress appetite, but tirzepatide's dual action on GIP and GLP-1 receptors may make it more effective.
"While scientifically, Mounjaro seems to be more effective, especially for non-diabetic patients, Ozempic has captured the public's attention, primarily due to a large number of celebrities and influencers endorsing it. For example, #ozempic has over a billion views on TikTok," Vikram Shanbhag, vice president of life sciences and healthcare at SG Analytics, a global analytics firm, told Newsweek.
A recent study comparing the two weekly injections found that Mounjaro was more effective than Ozempic in shedding pounds among overweight and obese individuals. The study was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal by authors affiliated to the healthcare data platform Truveta Inc.
The researchers studied nearly 20,000 people taking either drug and found that while most participants lost at least 5 percent of their weight, those taking Mounjaro experienced notably larger reductions.
Specifically, patients taking Mounjaro achieved more significant weight loss at various intervals: 2.4 percent more at 3 months, 4.3 percent more at 6 months, and 6.9 percent more at 12 months compared to individuals using Ozempic.
Moreover, those on Mounjaro had higher chances of achieving weight loss milestones: 1.76 times more likely to lose 5 percent of body weight, 2.54 times more likely for 10 percent, and 3.24 times more likely for 15 percent, compared to Ozempic users.
However, both groups experienced similar rates of gastrointestinal side effects, which are common with drugs in the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) class, to which both medications belong.
The study results are particularly timely as demand for both medications continues to surge across the U.S., with demand outpacing supply.
Shanbhag believes that Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, now faces both a challenge and an opportunity to increase the adoption of tirzepatide over semaglutide in clinical practice and among patients.
"As it has already proven better efficacy than semaglutide, it will be important for Eli Lilly to have a strong [medical communications] outreach to prescribers and other stakeholders to displace semaglutide, which has been on the market much longer. Broadening formulary access, especially through employer plan opt-ins is going to be critical for the success of tirzepatide," he said.
"A couple of ways tirzepatide can have an edge is to look at having an oral formulation as well as a longer-acting injection that reduces the dosing frequency. Also at some stage, Eli Lilly will have to build a workable market mix for the promotion of both Mounjaro and Zepbound (another trade name for the drug)."
Despite tirzepatide's positive results, Ozempic has been shown to have a broader range of positive effects beyond weight loss, as demonstrated in multiple studies.
"Tirzepatide is relatively new for diabetes and obesity whereas semaglutide (Ozempic) is more established in the public domain," Daniel Drucker, endocrinologist and professor of medicine at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, told Newsweek.
"While tirzepatide is more effective for glucose control and weight loss, the cardiovascular safety studies for diabetes and obesity are not yet complete for tirzepatide. In contrast, there is a more extensive safety and outcomes database for semaglutide showing cardiovascular and kidney protection."
The research authors said further study is needed to understand the differences between semaglutide and tirzepatide in other important outcomes.
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