In the midst of the war on obesity, a clear winner has emerged in the battle between two weight-loss injections. Zepbound (tirzepatide), made by Fortune 500 company Eli Lilly & Co., outperformed competitor Wegovy (semaglutide), a Novo Nordisk Top 500 product, in a recent study Randomized clinical trial Supported by Lily.
After injecting the medications weekly for about 17 months, patients who took these medications zipbound They lost 20.2% of their body weight (50.3 lbs) on average, while Wegs Lilly announced on December 4 that patients lost 13.7% (33.1 pounds). press release. Additionally, Zepbound achieved 47% greater weight loss than its competitor, and 31.6% of Zepbound patients lost at least 25% of their body weight, compared to 16.1% of Wegovy users.
“Given the growing interest in obesity medications, we conducted this study to help health care providers and patients make informed decisions about choosing treatment.” Dr. Leonard Glasssenior vice president of global medical affairs at Lilly cardiovascular healthhe said in the press release. “Zepbound is in a class of its own as the only FDA-approved dual GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) obesity drug, and it is changing how millions of people manage this “It’s a chronic disease.”
The trial included 751 US adults aged 18 years and older who were either obese or overweight with at least one of the following medical conditions: heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or obstructive sleep apnea. They received the maximum tolerated dose of Zepbound (10 mg or 15 mg) or Wegovy (1.7 mg or 2.4 mg) for 72 weeks. (No participant had diabetes; Lilly markets tirzepatide as… Monjaro For people with type 2 diabetes, while Novo Nordisk does the same for semaglutide. Ozimbek.)
The results have not yet been peer-reviewed, however, Lilly has indicated that they will be published in 2025 in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at an unspecified medical meeting.
Lilly funded the clinical trial, which the company said was intended “to demonstrate superiority of Zepbound in percentage change in body weight from baseline at 72 weeks compared to Wegovy.” He says this shouldn’t necessarily raise any eyebrows doctor. W. Scott Butchdirector of obesity medicine at Cleveland Clinic Obesity and Metabolism Institute.
“We should always look at the funding source as a potential bias for the study,” Butch says. luck Via email. “But this study was well designed and we have to believe the data.”
Moreover, the results of the trial are similar to the results of a study – which was not funded by Lilly – published earlier this year in the journal. JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Holly LoftonObesity specialist in NYU Langone Healthrefers to luck. This research showed that 42.3% of people who took tirzepatide, the generic name for Zepbound, lost at least 15% of their body weight within a year, compared to 15% of people who took semaglutide, the generic name for Wegovy.
Should I take Zepbound instead of Wegovy?
Both Zepbound and Wegovy are prescription medications, so you should consult your healthcare provider if you have concerns about taking one instead of the other. They’re also not the only weight-loss medications available, and your doctor can help you decide which might be right for you, given your weight-loss goals and medical history.
Although the results of Lilly’s trial are promising, they shouldn’t be the only consideration when ordering a weight-loss medication, Lofton says.
“Both drugs show significant weight loss of greater than 10%, which can improve or alleviate many weight-related medical conditions,” says Lofton. luck Via email. “Prescribers and patients should always consider a drug’s safety, effectiveness, and accessibility when determining which drug is best for a patient.”
“From a patient perspective, I don’t think these study results will change public demand for terzepatide, nor will it lead to drug switching,” Butch says. “It reinforces that there are currently two very effective drugs, but there are many factors — cost, coverage, etc. — that They pose obstacles to accessing them.
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