WEDNESDAY, Dec. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Eli Lilly has announced that its newly approved weight-loss medication, Zepbound, is now available for patients to take.
“Today opens another chapter for adults living with obesity who have been looking for a new treatment option like Zepbound,” Rhonda Pacheco, group vice president of Lilly Diabetes and Obesity, U.S., said in a company news release. “The availability of Zepbound in U.S. pharmacies is the first step, but we have to work hand-in-hand with employers, government, and health care industry partners to remove barriers and make Zepbound available to those who need it.”
It was only last month when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Zepbound as a weight-loss medication. Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound, had already been approved by the FDA as a treatment for type 2 diabetes under the name Mounjaro.
To trigger weight loss, tirzepatide mimics two hormones, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide. The Novo Nordisk weight-loss medication, Wegovy, uses semaglutide, which only focuses on GLP-1. That difference translated to greater weight loss with Zepbound than Wegovy, a recent study showed. Zepbound has been found to prompt up to a 20.9 percent drop in weight at higher doses, while Wegovy patients typically see a 15 percent reduction in weight.
According to the FDA, the most common side effects of Zepbound include nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea. The drug’s label will also have warnings about the potential for inflammation of the pancreas, gallbladder problems, low blood sugar, acute kidney injury, damage to the retina in people with type 2 diabetes, and suicidal behavior or thinking.
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