‘King Kong’ of weight-loss drugs Mounjaro could be approved in US within months, company says
The “King Kong” of weight-loss drugs could be approved in the US within months, says the manufacturer.
In a recent study, patients who received a weekly injection of 15 milligrams (mg) of Mounjaro lost an average of 15.7 percent of their body weight over 72 weeks. By comparison, those in the placebo group lost only 3.3 percent of their weight over the same period.
Eli Lilly, who produces the drug, said the results paved the way for approval to treat weight loss. Tirzepatide, the active drug behind Mounjaro, was approved last year for patients with type 2 diabetes.
The drug functions as both a GLP-1 and GIP drug, both triggering hormones that stop the body from eating and increase the body’s secretion of insulin.
It follows in the footsteps of its rival Wegovy, which was also developed as a type 2 diabetes drug before being approved for weight loss.
Eli Lilly, who produces tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro, said the results paved the way for approval of the weight-loss drug. It is already approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (image of Mounjaro in a pharmacy in Provo, Utah)
A total of 938 patients from eight countries – including the US, Japan and Russia – were recruited for the trial, dubbed SURMOUNT-2.
Each participant had both obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the trial, they were split into three equal groups to receive 15 mg or 10 mg of Mounjaro or a placebo weekly.
In the larger dosage group, participants on Mounjaro lost an average of 34.4 pounds (lbs). This is compared to just 7 pounds in the placebo group.
Participants in the 10 mg group lost an average of 13.4 percent of their body weight, equivalent to about 29.8 lbs (13.5 kg) each.
The study also found that about 86 percent of patients who received 15 mg and 82 percent of those who received 10 mg of Mounjaro lost at least five percent of their body weight.
In the placebo group, only 30 percent of patients achieved this benchmark.
Jeff Emmick, the senior vice president of product development at Lilly, said, “Obesity is a difficult disease to manage and it is even more difficult for people with type 2 diabetes.
“The degree of mean weight reduction seen in SURMOUNT-2 has not previously been achieved in phase three clinical trials in obesity or overweight and type 2 diabetes.”
He suggested the results should lead to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving the drug for weight loss.
It was not clear how much the drugs would cost for weight loss treatment.
They currently cost about $1,180 a month — or nearly $300 per injection — for type 2 diabetes treatment.
Mounjaro was given the green light for type 2 diabetes patients in May last year, but many doctors have also started prescribing it off-label for weight loss.
Celebrities who have used the drug include comedian Rosie O’Donnell, 60, who claimed she lost 4.5kg in three weeks while taking the drug.
Speaking about the drug in a TikTok video, she said, “I would say it feels like freedom. Freedom from intrusive thoughts about food, about what you eat.
‘I think it is fantastic.’
Side effects of taking the drug reported during the trial included nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation.
Rosie O’Donnell is pictured above. She has been using Mounjaro to help her lose weight
Mounjaro works by inducing a feeling of fullness in patients even when they haven’t eaten – to help them reduce calorie consumption and lose weight.
Like semaglutide – sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy – it targets the receptors for the hormone GLP-1 to induce feelings of fullness.
But it also targets receptors for the hormone GIP, which has a similar effect.
This dual effect has earned it the nickname “King Kong” among weight loss drugs.
Dr. Julio Rosenstock, a veteran diabetes physician in Texas, told the Wall Street Journal earlier this month, Ozempic and Wegovy were the “gorillas” of weight loss.
However, he added, “But tirzepatide really is a King Kong.”]
The FDA approved Wegovy as a weight loss treatment in June 2021.
This was based on the results of phase three studies that showed patients lost an average of 12.4 percent of their body weight after taking the weekly injections for 68 weeks.
Patients taking the drug were about 46 years old and classified as extremely obese.
In a second arm of the study involving patients with type 2 diabetes who were also extremely obese, the participants lost about 6.2 percent of their body weight in 68 weeks.