There seems to be a winner in the battle of the weight loss drugs. A new study compares the results of the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound with the results of the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy. And it finds those taking tirzepatide, found in Mounjaro and Zepbound, lost more body weight than people taking semaglutide, found in Ozempic and Wegovy.
The study is the first direct comparison of the two blockbuster weight loss drugs, which are both part of a new class of medications called GLP-1s. “We’ve tracked GLP-1 use over the last year and we’ve seen really dramatic increases, and yet, there’s not a ton of information available on head to head comparisons,” explains lead study author Tricia Rodriguez. “The majority of patients on both medications experienced clinically meaningful weight loss, but those patients that took tirzepatide experienced significantly more.”
Researchers analyzed the health records of more than 41-thousand overweight or obese adults who were taking one of the two drugs for the first time.
- They looked at how much weight patients lost after three, six and 12 months.
- Those taking Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) lost an average of 3.6% of their body weight after three months, 5.8% after six months and 8.3% after a year.
- Patients taking Mounjaro or Zepbound (tirzepatide) lost more body weight each month, an average of 5.9% after three months, 10.1% after six months and 15.3% after 12 months.
- Both GLP-1 drugs work in similar ways, they mimic a hormone that helps reduce appetite and food intake, but tirzepatide also includes GIP, a second hormone that’s supposed to improve the way the body breaks down sugar and fat.
Source: NBC News