What is Mounjaro—and how does it support weight loss?
The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved?a new drug, MounjaroTM?(tirzepatide), as the first and only dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes. Manufactured by Eli Lilly, Mounjaro also shows potential to become one of the most effective options in a class of drugs that also treats obesity.
Why are obesity doctors excited about the potential of Mounjaro?
Mounjaro’s clinical data on weight loss shows that participants lost between 5 and 22 percent of their total body weight. People taking many existing FDA-approved medications for obesity typically lose between 5 and 12 percent of their total body weight.?
Eli Lilly released preliminary results from?their SURMOUNT-1 clinical trial?in April 2022, sharing that people with excess weight or obesity and who have at least one comorbidity lost up to 22.5 percent of their body weight, or up to 52 pounds during a 72-week study.?
While the FDA approved Mounjaro to treat type 2 diabetes, doctors who specialize in treating obesity are particularly excited about this medication given the preliminary SURMOUNT-1 results. “As a board-certified obesity specialist, I believe that Mounjaro has the potential to be a game-changer in the treatment of obesity for certain patients who may not have responded to other medicines,” said Found Chief Medical Officer Rekha Kumar. “A medication with this efficacy gives hope to patients who have run out of existing medication options because the mechanism of Mounjaro is unique as a dual agonist. We are excited about the possibility of adding Mounjaro to the broad toolkit of medications Found clinicians already use to provide the best care possible to each Found member.”
Is Mounjaro FDA-approved?
The FDA approved Mounjaro to treat type 2 diabetes. Eli Lilly, the manufacturer, is expected to file for FDA approval for an indication for obesity. Novo Nordisk, the company that manufactures Wegovy, took a similar path. It got FDA approval for the GLP-1 Ozempic (semaglutide) as a treatment for type 2 diabetes before getting the same drug, in different doses, approved for weight management.
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What are the side effects of Mounjaro?
The most common side effects are:
As with other GLP-1s, there is a box warning about thyroid cancer. Specifically, people who have medullary thyroid cancer should avoid using Mounjaro (tirzepatide).
Will Found prescribe Mounjaro (tirzepatide)?
Found offers a broad toolkit of over 13 medications and 60 distinct treatment pathways. Our medical team will assess a member's unique healthcare needs and will prescribe treatments that are medically appropriate for the member, which may include Mounjaro or a GLP-1 medication.