Latest FDA-approved weight loss medication

In this article, I would like to draw attention to interesting news related to a recently FDA-approved weight loss medication – Tirzepatide.

Obesity is a chronic disease that can result in serious health complications and studies are being conducted to discover new treatment options. Tirzepatide was approved for weight loss under the brand name Zepbound, in November 2023 (1). It was approved after SURMOUNT-1 trial provided good evidence for the use of tirzepatide in obese or overweight patients without diabetes. SURMOUNT-1 trial was a randomized, double-blinded phase 3 clinical trial. Patients were randomized into three different doses of tirzepatide (5 mg, 10 mg, 15mg) and placebo in addition to lifestyle intervention. Tirzepatide was administered subcutaneously once weekly, and the treatment continued for 72 weeks. This trial included adults with a body mass index of ≥30 kg/m2 or ≥27 kg/m2 and a weight-related complication, and diabetic patients were excluded. The trial results showed that tirzepatide leads to substantial weight loss and most patients had a 5% weight loss. At the 10 mg and 15 mg doses, tirzepatide led to a nearly 20% reduction in body weight (2,3).

Moreover, medications that are already available for chronic weight management in adults are semaglutide (Wegovy) which was approved by FDA in 2021, and liraglutide (Saxenda)  which was FDA-approved in 2014, was later approved in 2020 for children and adolescents 12 years and older with obesity or overweight with an associated health problem, such as high blood pressure (4,5). Lastly, I want to mention that tirzepatide is also used for type 2 diabetes under the brand Mounjaro.

#weightloss #fda #health #medication

References

1.       https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-medication-chronic-weight-management

2.       https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04184622s

3.       https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Clinical-Trials/2022/08/04/15/32/SURMOUNT-1#:~:text=Inclusion%20criteria%3A,dietary%20effort%20to%20lose%20weight

4.       https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatment-chronic-weight-management-first-2014

5.       https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/novo-nordisk-receives-fda-approval-for-saxenda-liraglutide-rdna-origin-injection-for-chronic-weight-management-300013975.html