The ‘King Kong’ of weight loss medications could be approved in the United States within months, according to its manufacturer.
In a recent study, patients who received a weekly 15mg injection of Mounjaro lost an average of 15.7% of their body weight over 72 weeks. Those in the placebo group lost only 3.3% of their body weight over the same period.
The manufacturer, Eli Lilly, stated that the results paved the way for the drug to be approved to treat weight loss. Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro, was approved for type 2 diabetes patients last year.
The drug functions as both a GLP-1 and GIP drug, both of which stimulate hormones that cause the body to cease eating and increase insulin secretion.
It follows in the footsteps of its competitor, Wegovy, which was also developed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes before gaining approval for weight loss.
The SURMOUNT-2 trial recruited 938 patients from eight countries, including the United States, Japan, and Russia.
Each participant suffered from both obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the study, they were divided into three equal groups, each of which received either 15mg or 10mg of Mounjaro per week, or a placebo.
Mounjaro users dropped 34.4 pounds in the higher dosage group. The placebo group lost 7 pounds.
Participants in the 10mg group lost an average of 13.4% of their body weight, or approximately 29.8 lbs (13.5kg) each.
About 86% of patients who received 15mg and 82% of those who received 10mg of Mounjaro lost at least 5% of their body weight, according to the study.
Only 30% of patients in the placebo group attained this benchmark.
Jeff Emmick, senior vice president of product development at Lilly, stated, ‘Obesity is a difficult-to-manage disease, and it’s even more challenging for those with type 2 diabetes.
The level of mean weight loss observed in SURMOUNT-2 has not previously been attained in phase three clinical trials for obesity or overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes.
He suggested that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should approve the drug for weight loss based on the findings.
It was unclear how much the weight loss medications would cost.
Type 2 diabetes therapy costs $1,180 per month, or over $300 every injection.
In May of last year, Mounjaro was approved for type 2 diabetes patients. But many physicians have also begun prescribing it off-label for weight loss.
Rosie O’Donnell, a 60-year-old comedian, claimed she shed 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) in three weeks while taking the drug.
In a TikTok video, she said of the drug, ‘I’d say it feels like liberation. Freedom from intrusive food-related thoughts, or thoughts about what one is consuming.
“I think it’s wonderful.”
During the trial, participants reported experiencing nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and constipation after ingesting the drug.
Patients lose weight by feeling full even when they haven’t eaten with Mounjaro.
Like semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy), it targets GLP-1 receptors to induce fullness.
However, it also targets GIP receptors, which have a similar effect.
This effect has earned it the moniker ‘King Kong’ among weight loss medications.
A veteran diabetes specialist in Texas, Dr. Julio Rosenstock, told the Wall Street Journal earlier this month that Ozempic and Wegovy were the “gorillas” of weight loss.
However, he added, [“But tripeptide is actually King Kong”]
In June of 2021, the FDA approved Wegovy as a weight loss treatment.
Phase three trial patients who received weekly injections for 68 weeks dropped 12.4% of their body weight.
The average age of the patients was 46, and they were classified as severely obese.
In the second arm, type 2 diabetes and extreme obesity participants lost 6.2% of their weight over 68 weeks.
