Miraculous Weight Loss Shot That’s Even Better Than Wegovy Approved In Britain For Type 2 Diabetes Patients
A drug hailed as the ‘King Kong’ of weight loss jabs is being given to NHS diabetics.
About 180,000 people with type 2 diabetes will receive tirzepatide to control their condition.
It was given a weekly shot and given the go-ahead for patients who cannot tolerate metformin – the first-line drug for type 2 diabetes – once supplies become available.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) today recommended it as a drug for diabetes, which should be prescribed in addition to diet and exercise.
It could be available as early as October, depending on US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly’s supply.
Tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro, is approved by the NHS for use in diabetics
The picture above shows how tirzepatide works for weight loss. It works to suppress hunger by mimicking hormones that signal the body to be full. It also shows the passage of food through the stomach by reducing the production of stomach acid and muscle contractions
A decision on its use for weight loss is expected in a few months.
The weekly jab is in a class of medications called GLP-1 agonists that mimic a hormone that helps suppress appetite and reduce food intake.
Studies have also shown that it increases the production of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar, essential for controlling type 2 diabetes.
After just one year, one-third of the type 2 diabetics taking the drug lost more than 20 percent of their body weight, significantly more than their rivals.
It prompted American diabetes expert Dr. Julio Rosenstock to declare it ‘King Kong’, compared to ‘the gorilla’ of semaglutide, the main ingredient in Wegoby and Ozempic.
Nice’s approval comes after it asked for more evidence on the drug’s effectiveness in treating type 2 diabetes.
According to the latest guidelines, clinical trials showed that the use of tirzepatide “resulted in significant reductions in blood sugar and body weight compared to semaglutide, insulin therapy, or a placebo.”
The independent commission said nearly two out of three people with type 2 diabetes have it out of control, putting them at risk of serious complications.
Helen Knight, director of drug evaluation at Nice, said: ‘Very few new drugs are being developed to treat difficult-to-treat type 2 diabetes.
“Our committee recognized the potential that tirzepatide may provide an effective and economical treatment option for anyone living with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.”
‘Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, with its associated additional health risks, is a huge challenge for people living with the condition and for the NHS.
“This recommendation will bring new hope to many and provide taxpayer value for money.”
Nice is expected to publish its final draft guideline on October 11, with the drug available within 90 days.
It comes in the same week that semaglutide, sold under the brand name Wegovy, finally hit the market in Britain as a weight-loss treatment.
Around 50,000 people are expected to benefit from the NHS and even more through private prescriptions, amid a global shortage of the drug.
Research shows that tirzepatide is marginally more potent than its rival Wegovy when it comes to weight loss. Produced by the Danish company Novo Nordisk. Wegovy has recently been approved for use by the NHS. Liraglutide and Orlistat are other weight loss medications to treat obesity that are already used in healthcare
Its popularity as a weight-loss aid has seen stocks of the diabetes drug Ozempic, which contains the same key ingredient, run out and the NHS has issued a notice to prevent it from being prescribed ‘off label’.
David Webb, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at NHS England, said the latest announcement is ‘great news at a time when there is disruption to the supply of key medicines used to treat people with diabetes’.
He said: ‘This will be a much-needed addition to other treatments available, and can be prescribed alongside diet and exercise, to significantly improve the lives of people living with this difficult disease and give more people the chance of a healthier future .’