What You Need to Know About the New FDA Approved Drug Mounjaro

Earlier this month, the FDA approved a new drug from Eli Lilly, which is intended for type 2 diabetes treatment, but that is also viewed as having considerable potential as an obesity treatment. 

What is Mounjaro?

Mounjaro is Eli Lilly’s brand name for the drug called tirzepatide.  It is a drug that is administered as an injection once per week.  It is designed to replicate the action of a naturally occurring gut hormone that plays a role in blood sugar regulation and that also happens to play a role in appetite suppression.

The studies conducted on Mounjaro have shown that this medication is considerably more effective at blood sugar level control than current treatments. That said, what is also interesting about this medication is its potential as an obesity therapy.  A recent trial has shown that it is quite promising and that in time it could also be approved for use for that purpose.

So far, the drug is approved exclusively for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but following future research, that situation could change to the benefit of obesity patients as well.

How Does Tirzepatide Work?

Mounjaro is in a new diabetes drug treatment class. The hormone it mimics is called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). The intestines naturally release this hormone, which is known for blood sugar and appetite regulation.  The first drug to have ever targeted the GLP-1 mechanism was called Wegovy.  That medication, which is the Novo Nordisk brand name for semaglutide, was approved in 2017 for type 2 diabetes treatment.

Mounjaro works slightly differently than Wegovy.  It was created to replicate GLP-1 as well as the action of another gut hormone called gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP).

Clinical trials on the drug have determined that the action of both GLP-1 and GIP agonist can be a more effective type 2 diabetes treatment than using therapies targeting only GLP-1.

Mounjaro is Not Yet Approved for Obesity Treatment

The FDA approval of Mounjaro is exclusive to its use for treating type 2 diabetes in adults.  Moreover, it is recommended for use for blood sugar control when used with a prescribed diet and exercise program.

This medication isn’t the first to be considered as an obesity treatment by targeting GLP-1.  Though Wegovy first received its FDA approval as a diabetes treatment, trials that followed pointed to it as an effective drug in treating patients and who are overweight but non-diabetic.  In 2021, the FDA added to Wegovy’s approved uses, including obesity treatment on its list.

Last month, preliminary data in a Mounjaro Phase 3 trial showed that the drug also has anti-obesity properties.  The results are expected to be published in a peer-reviewed journal soon. They suggest that about 2 out of every 3 subjects on a high dose of tirzepatide lost 20 percent of their total body weight after a year of use. Clinical trials will need to continue before the FDA will be able to approve the medication among top rated weight loss pills or for anything but type 2 diabetes treatment.