A Surgery-Like Obesity Treatment
In May, company Eli Lilly announced the results of the Phase III trial for its type 2 diabetes and obesity drug, tirzepatide. People given the highest doses of the drug lost up 22% of their baseline body weight, far above the average weight loss seen in those given standard diet and exercise advice. Tirzepatide’s results even proved to be more substantial than those seen with Novo Nordisk’s similar drug Wegovy, approved for obesity last year, and are close to approaching the average weight loss seen with the most effective bariatric surgeries.
Since then, tirzepatide has been approved by the FDA as a type 2 diabetes treatment (sold under the brand name Mounjaro). Eli Lilly is expected to complete the drug’s application for a potential approval as a obesity treatment by the middle of next year, and it could receive the FDA’s go-ahead as early as late 2023. Similar candidates are in the pipeline, and many obesity experts believe these drugs will radically reshape the landscape of obesity treatment in the years to come. At the same time, they’re also expected to be very expensive and may be not regularly covered by health plans (Wegovy currently costs over $1,000 per month without insurance).
