August 20, 2024 – The weight reduction and diabetes drug tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Zepbound, was highly effective in reducing the chance of progression from prediabetes to the more serious condition type 2 diabetes, in response to initial study results released on Tuesday by drugmaker Eli Lilly .
Tirzepatide is sold under the brand name Zepbound for weight reduction and under the name Mounjaro for the treatment of diabetes. The drug works like other well-known diabetes and weight reduction medications comparable to Ozempic and Wegovy. Tirzepatide is often known as a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, meaning it really works in two ways, mimicking hormones released within the gut that may affect appetite and calorie absorption. It can even affect insulin production.
These latest results come from a Phase III clinical trial of tirzepatide, which is often the most important phase of studying the results and safety of a drug. This recent evaluation, called the SURMOUNT-1 study, included 1,032 adults with prediabetes and chubby or obese. The results were compared in individuals who took a placebo or considered one of three doses of tirzepatide (5 milligrams, 10 milligrams or 15 milligrams) given as a weekly injection for 176 weeks, greater than three years.
People who took tirzepatide had as much as a 94% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes progression, Eli Lilly announced in a Press release.
The announcement was posted on Eli Lilly's website for investors and is a component of the principles that pharmaceutical firms must follow regarding clinical trial information. These latest results shall be presented on the Obesity Week 2024 The company said within the press release that it took place at a medical conference in November and was presented to a peer-reviewed journal.
The study results also showed a remarkable average weight reduction of 15 to 23% of body weight, depending on dosage, in comparison with a median weight reduction of 1 to 2% in individuals who took a placebo. After the 176-week treatment period, study participants were followed for an extra 17 weeks during which they stopped taking the drug. They began to achieve weight again and there was a slight increase in progression to type 2 diabetes, the discharge said. At the tip of the 17-week monitoring period, the chance reduction of developing type 2 diabetes fell by about 6 percentage points to 88%.
Previous results from the SURMOUNT-1 trial were published in 2022 in The New England Journal of Medicineshowed that folks lost between 15 and 21% of their body weight on average after 72 weeks. This initial evaluation included greater than twice as many individuals as in probably the most recent results, which only included individuals with prediabetes.
More than one in three adults within the US have this PrediabetesThis is a condition during which blood sugar levels are above normal, but not high enough to fulfill the standards for type 2 diabetes. Most individuals with prediabetes go on to develop the more serious condition type 2 diabetes. The press release didn't address whether taking tirzepatide is related to reversal of prediabetes in people.
Tirzepatide could cause digestive unwanted side effects that typically range from mild to moderate, Eli Lilly reported, noting that the unwanted side effects observed on this latest evaluation were just like those reported in 2022 and other clinical trials of the drug. The most typical unwanted side effects were diarrhea, nausea, constipation and vomiting.