Eli Lily's Mounjaro is more effective for weight loss than Ozempic, study shows

Eli Lily's highly coveted diabetes medicine Mounjaro was shown to be more effective in helping patients who are overweight or obese lose weight when compared with Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, according to a recent study.

The study – published Monday in MedRxiv – is the latest to underscore how tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and most recently, Zepbound, is stronger than other weight-loss drugs on market. 

According to the results, adults taking Mounjaro were more likely to lose 5%, 10% and 15% of their body weight compared to those who were taking Ozempic, which is the brand name for semaglutide. 

Those same patients also saw larger reductions in weight at the three-, six- and 12-month mark, according to the findings. 

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Mounjaro and Ozempic were approved by federal health officials to lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. However, given their weight loss effects, both drugs were also being used "off label" to treat obesity, especially when Wegovy was hard to come by.

Wegovy, which has the same active ingredient as Ozempic, was approved in 2021 by the FDA for chronic weight management. At the time, it was the first drug approved since 2014 for long-term weight management, and it quickly surged in popularity. 

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However, studies have shown that tirzepatide is more powerful when compared with both Ozempic and Wegovy.

In one recent study, adults who were overweight or obese and had a weight-related medical problem, not including diabetes, and took the drug at its highest dose lost an average of 48 pounds compared to the placebo, the company said. About one in three people lost over 58 pounds, or 25% of their body weight, compared to the 1.5% people lost while using the placebo.

Following the study, the FDA approved tirzepatide for the treatment of obesity. under the brand name Zepbound. 

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Zepbound was approved specifically for adults with obesity or those who are overweight and also deal with weight-related medical issues such as hypertension, dyslipidemia or Type 2 diabetes mellitus.