Mounjaro, dubbed the ‘King Kong’ of the new generation of weight loss techniques, has defeated his rival Ozempic in a neck-and-neck race to trim a muscular waistline.
American scientists compared the two drugs, which work by mimicking a hormone that makes people feel full, in a study of more than 18,000 adults who received a weekly injection for up to a year.
At the end of the study, patients taking tirzepatide, the ingredient in Mounjaro, were 224 percent more likely to have lost about one-sixth of their body weight than patients taking Ozempic.
People who took Mounjaro, made by US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, lost up to 7 percent more weight on average than people who took semaglutide, the ingredient in Ozempic.
The researchers also found that there was no increased risk of side effects such as diarrhea when using the two drugs.
US scientists pitted Ozempic and Mounjaro against each other in a study of more than 18,000 adults who received one of the weekly injections for up to a year
In terms of weight loss goals, Mounjaro was the clear winner, with 82 percent of patients losing at least 5 percent of their total weight, compared to 66 percent in the Ozempic cohort
These graphs show the different likelihood of patients achieving their weight loss goals in Mounjaro (green line) or Ozempic (yellow line) throughout the study.
In the study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicineexperts compared the health data of two cohorts of adult patients with type 2 diabetes who received the shots for up to a year.
Of the 18,386 patients, half took Mounjaro and the other half Ozempic.
Patients had a similar starting weight to the Mounjaro group, which weighed 110 kg (approximately 17st 4 lbs) and the Ozempic group, which was slightly lighter at 109 kg (17st 1 lb).
Researchers compared how likely each group was to achieve certain weight loss goals and how much weight they lost on average during certain periods in the study.
In terms of weight loss goals, Mounjaro was the clear winner, with 82 percent of patients losing at least 5 percent of their total weight, compared to 66 percent in the Olympic cohort.
About 60 percent of Mounjaro patients lost 10 percent of their body weight, compared to just under 40 percent of Ozempic patients.
Finally, 42 percent of Mounjaro patients lost 15 percent of their body weight, compared to only 18 percent of patients who received Ozempic.
According to the researchers, this equated to a 76 percent higher chance that patients taking Mounjaro would reach their target weight of 5 percent, an 84 percent higher chance that they would lose 10 percent of their starting weight, and a whopping 224 percent higher chance that they would lose 15 percent or more.
Mounjaro also clearly came out on top when it came to average weight loss over the course of the study, which looked at three-month, six-month, and one-year intervals.
Experts found that people on Mounjaro lost an average of 2.4 percent, 4.3 percent and 6.9 percent more weight respectively compared to people on Ozempic.
Despite the increased weight loss in the Mounjaro group, the scientists found no difference in reported gastrointestinal side effects, including diarrhea and vomiting, between the two drugs.
The authors concluded: ‘In this large, propensity-matched cohort study, overweight or obese individuals treated with tirzepatide had significantly greater odds of clinically meaningful weight loss and greater reductions in body weight compared with individuals treated with semaglutide.’
However, the researchers noted that their findings only applied to patients with type 2 diabetes who were taking the drugs as part of their weight management.
Both drugs are now also available for obese people without type 2 diabetes, although the semaglutide version is sold under a different name for this purpose: Wegovy.
According to the researchers, it would be interesting to see the results of a direct comparison between obese patients. They noted that such a study is currently underway and that the results are expected to be published later this year.
The experts, who come from the American health data company Truveta, indicated that a limitation of the study was that they could not take into account the participants’ motivation to lose weight.
For example, this could mean that some participants took additional measures to lose weight, such as diet and exercise, which could have influenced the results.
Secondly, both shots are usually administered by patients at home, so some may not have adhered to the correct dosage. This is another factor that could affect the results.
Both Mounjaro and Ozempic and Wegovy are now available in the UK and US.
Ozempic and Wegovy work by imitating one hormone called GLP-1, while Mounjaro does the same but with another hormone called GIP. It is believed that GIP enhances the effect of GLP-1.
Another difference is that Mounjaro usually gets a higher dose than the competitor’s shot. This could also explain the results.
Wegovy and Ozempic work by stimulating the body to produce a hormone called GLP-1 which is naturally released from the gut after meals
According to the latest data, digestive problems were the most commonly reported side effects of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro. These included about one in five participants who experienced nausea and diarrhea, and about one in ten who reported vomiting or diarrhea
Fat-burning injections such as Mounjaro and Ozempic are being hailed on both sides of the Atlantic as a way to combat the scourge of obesity, which is increasingly threatening the lives of millions of Britons and Americans.
However, some research has suggested that they also have a range of other benefits, including reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. And kidney disease and recently even some forms of cancer.
Some experts have even said they should be prescribed proactively to some patients, similar to statins, in an effort to combat cardiovascular disease.
However, there are also known side effects of the injections, which, as with any medicine, vary in frequency and severity.
Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headache, and dizziness.
Some patients have also reported strange symptoms, such as hair loss.
Ministers in Britain plan to provide the drug to millions of obese Britons in a bid to cut the sky-high benefits the country receives from sick Britons who take time off work and curb the rising cost to the NHS of treating obesity.
The latest NHS data shows that 26 per cent of adults in England are obese, and a further 38 per cent are overweight but not obese. In the US, an estimated 41.9 per cent of the adult population are obese.
Britain’s expanding waistline is estimated to be costing the country almost £100 billion a year.
This huge sum includes both NHS treatments and the secondary economic effects, such as loss of income as people take time off work.
While the hormone-mimicking injections are designed to help overweight patients become healthier, there are also growing concerns about the number of normal-weight and underweight patients taking the injections for cosmetic reasons.
Some even required emergency care after getting vaccinated to get “beach body ready.”
Young women in particular are said to purchase Wegovy from online pharmacies. The pharmacies offer the products for amounts between £150 and £200 ($200-$250) per month, after providing false information about their appearance and health.
In some cases, it is thought that people who receive the vaccinations without a valid medical reason do so as a result of an eating disorder.
The increasing demand for the vaccines worldwide, including among people who take them for cosmetic reasons, has left some diabetes patients struggling to get enough vaccines.
It has also led to a huge increase in profits for pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy.
Earlier this year, the Danish company announced it was making £32 million a day as countries struggling with the financial costs of fat tissue fight to get their hands on the vaccines.
Analysis shows that the combined turnover of the Ozempic and Wegovy brands generated £20.5bn this year.
There are also other drugs in the pipeline that work on a similar mechanism to Mounjaro and Ozempic, such as retatrutide, which is also made by Eli Lilly.
