The type 2 diabetes drug tirzepatide (higher known by its brand name Mounjaro) has recently been authorised by the UK’s medicines regulation authority to be used in weight reduction and weight management. The decision was made on the identical day the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a version of tirzepatide called Zepbound for weight management.
At the moment, Mounjaro has only been authorised for weight management in people who find themselves obese, or those that are chubby and have weight-related health problems (akin to hypertension or pre-diabetes). The drug is for use together with lifestyle changes to help in weight reduction.
How does tirzepatide work?
The lively ingredient in Mounjaro (which is prescribed for diabetes treatment) is tirzepatide. The tirzepatide formulation for obesity will probably be given one other name. Tirzepatide works in an identical way as semaglutide, which is the lively ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.
Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are drugs which might be modelled on naturally occurring gut hormones called incretins. Incretins are produced by the gut in response to eating. They have a range of effectsincluding slowing emptying of food from the stomach and increasing insulin levels.
These effects are useful for controlling blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes, which is why each drugs have already been licensed to administer type 2 diabetes.
But the rationale incretin hormones have garnered a lot interest for weight management is because in addition they produce a way of fullness after a meal. They do that by signalling to a brain region called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus then passes the signal on to other areas of the brain, resulting in an individual feeling full.
Drugs that mimic the motion of incretins may cause weight reduction because they make an individual feel full – making them need to eat less.
How is Mounjaro different from Wegovy?
There are several types of naturally occurring incretin hormones – including glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP).
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Drugs that act on GLP-1 receptors have been very successful in treating diabetes since their launch in 2006. In 2020, Saxenda (liraglutide) was the primary GLP-1 receptor drug approved to manage obesity. The most up-to-date addition to the family of medicines that act on GLP-1 receptors has been semaglutide, which has been licensed to each manage type 2 diabetes (Ozempic) and obesity (Wegovy).
What makes tirzepatide different is that it acts not only on the body’s GLP-1 receptors, but additionally on its GIP receptors. This makes tirzepatide a “dual incretin”. Both GLP-1 and GIP release insulin. It’s thought that the 2 work together, which is why tirzepatide may result in a greater therapeutic effect.
Is tirzepatide simpler than semaglutide?
Based on data the info we have now up to now from clinical trials, it appears tirzepatide may result in greater weight reduction in comparison to semaglutide.
Trials have shown that a once-weekly injection of two.4 mg of semaglutide in people who find themselves chubby or obese can result in an average lack of 15% body weight which continued for the 104 weeks of medication use.
In comparison, clinical trials of tirzepatide have shown that in people who find themselves obese, a once-weekly injection of the bottom dose of tirzepatide (5mg) results in a 15% lack of body weight after just 72 weeks. Even more impressively, a once-weekly injection of the best dose of tirzepatide (20mg) is shown to steer to roughly 20% body weight reduction.
Over one-third of participants using tirzepatide achieved weight reduction of 25% or more. This is impressive – and greater than the quantity of weight reduction seen with semaglutide. This degree of weight reduction is comparable to that achieved by gastric band surgery.
Other considerations
Patients who’re prescribed Mounjaro will probably be given a one-weekly injection of two.5mg for 4 weeks to start with. After this, the patient’s doctor may then resolve to increase their dosage in 5mg increments every 4 weeks or so, as much as a maximum 15mg dosage.
As with other incretin drugs, tirzepatide comes with potential negative effects. The mostly reported ones are constipation, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.
Another vital consideration with all incretin drugs is that the results only last so long as the drug is getting used. Any weight lost while using the drug could also be fully regained inside a 12 months of stopping it. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle may help mitigate weight regain somewhat after stopping the drug.
Mounjaro is on account of turn into available early in 2024. It’s authorisation for weight management will probably be welcome news for a lot of who’ve struggled to drop pounds prior to now and those that have weight-related health problems.
What stays to be seen is whether or not there will probably be enough supply of tirzepatide to satisfy demand, which has been an issue with semaglutide over the past 12 months.
