A slimming drug more effective than Ozempic and Wegovy it was recently approved in Australia.
The drug tyrzepatid, sold under the brand name Mounjaro, affects the sensation of hunger and satiety and changes the best way the body processes food. (In other countries, tyrzepatid is also available under the brand name Zepbound.)
So what does tirzepatid work and the way is it different from Ozempic? And with a price tag of $315-$645 per thirty days for the starting dose, why is it so expensive?
How does it work?
Think of tirzepatid as a master key that unlocks two necessary doors in your weight management system. It mimics two hormones: GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide).
When you eat, your body naturally releases the hormones GIP and GLP-1. These hormones play a key role in regulating appetite, food intake and blood sugar levels. Tirzepatid mimics and enhances the consequences of those hormones.
By mimicking the hormones GLP-1 and GIP, tirzepatid makes people feel fuller with smaller meals. This can reduce your overall food intake and over time result in weight loss.
It also helps the body process sugar more efficiently and slows the speed at which food leaves the stomach. This means you eat less, feel full for longer, and have healthier blood sugar levels.
How does it compare to Wegovy/Ozempic?
Tirzepatid (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) are similar in some ways. Both are injectable medications used for weight loss and work by mimicking hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar levels.
The key difference is that tirzepatide acts on two hormone receptors (GIP and GLP-1), while semaglutide only acts on one (GLP-1). This dual motion is believed to be the explanation why tirzepatid has shown barely higher weight loss leads to clinical trials.
Clinical trials showed that participants lost a median of 25% of body fat in the primary yr of tirzepatide treatment. This was combined with lifestyle counseling by a health care skilled who encouraged a healthy, low-calorie weight loss program (500 fewer calories per day in comparison with the patient’s weight loss program at first of the study) and not less than 150 minutes of physical activity per day.
For comparison, weight loss averages 15% in the primary yr. semaglutidealso together with a reduced-calorie weight loss program (500-calorie deficit per day) and increased physical activity (150 minutes per week).
For an individual weighing 120 kg, this might mean the difference between losing 30 kg with tirzepatide and 18 kg with semaglutide. But after all, with each drugs, some people will lose less weight than average, some will lose more, and a few may not reply to the drug in any respect.
What are the uncomfortable side effects of tirzepatide?
Like all medicines, tirzepatid has effects uncomfortable side effects. The commonest are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. These may resemble mild stomach problems and are just like those seen with semaglutide.
For most individuals, these uncomfortable side effects are manageable and sometimes go away over time.
There are also rarer and more serious threats to think about. These include inflammation of the pancreas and gallbladder problems. There is also a possible increased risk of, amongst others: thyroid canceralthough so far this has only been observed in laboratory rats, not humans.
As with Ozempic and Wegovywhen you stop taking tirzepatide, its effect will stop. Very people get well some, if not all, of the weight lost.
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Who can access tirzepatid?
In Australia, tirzepatide is approved for use in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or a BMI of 27 or higher if you’ve gotten weight-related conditions corresponding to diabetes. It can only be prescribed by a physician after trying other weight loss methods.
But this is not suitable all. It mustn’t be used while pregnant and is probably not suitable for individuals with certain medical conditions or those with a history of eating disorders.
If you might be considering using tirzepatid, it is necessary to debate the advantages and risks to your personal health along with your doctor.
Why is it so expensive?
Tirzepatid normally costs around AUD 345 per thirty days for the starting dose. This can increase to $645 per thirty days for a hard and fast “maintenance” dose if: a better dose is crucial for the treatment of diabetes and/or weight control. This puts the drug out of reach for most individuals.
Tirzepatid, sold in Australia as Mounjaro, is available by prescription only and is not subsidized by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This means you pay the total cost of the drug with none government support.
However, the UK recently announced that it will step by step introduce tyrzepatid into the national health service over the following three years, so it is possible that it can be subsidized in Australia in the long run.
Developing latest drugs is an expensive business. Companies spend billions on research, clinical trials and regulatory approvals. They then set high prices to recoup those costs and make a profit.
The patent for tyrzepatid is ongoing until 2036. So we cannot have any cheaper generic versions for over a decade.