Current:Home > MyFDA approves a new weight loss drug, Zepbound from Eli Lilly -TradeWisdom
FDA approves a new weight loss drug, Zepbound from Eli Lilly
View
Date:2025-04-18 16:20:22
The Food and Drug Administration approved a request by Eli Lilly on Wednesday to begin marketing its tirzepatide medication, which is branded as Mounjaro for diabetes, under a new brand for weight loss as well.
While Mounjaro had already been used by some patients "off-label" for weight loss, the new FDA approval will allow the drugmaker to begin officially selling and marketing tirzepatide — branded as Zepbound — for weight loss too.
Zepbound will be available for patients in the U.S. by the end of the year, the drugmaker said.
The company said Wednesday in a news release that the medication, administered with an injection pen, will be sold at a cheaper list price than its semaglutide competitors from Novo Nordisk, which are branded as Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic for diabetes.
"New treatment options bring hope to the many people with obesity who struggle with this disease and are seeking better options for weight management," Joe Nadglowski, CEO of the Obesity Action Coalition, said in Eli Lilly's release. The group receives funding from Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical and health care companies.
The FDA's approval of Zepbound was partially based on a trial of adults without diabetes, which found that participants — who averaged 231 pounds at the start of the trial — who were given the highest approved dose lost around 18% of their body weight compared to placebo.
"In light of increasing rates of both obesity and overweight in the United States, today's approval addresses an unmet medical need," the FDA's Dr. John Sharretts, director of the agency's Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity, said in a news release.
While there have not been results from large clinical trials comparing Novo Nordisk's and Eli Lilly's medications head-to-head, there is some research to suggest Zepboud could outperform Ozempic.
A meta-analysis presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in October concluded tirzepatide was "more effective for weight loss than semaglutide, with a larger weight-loss effect at higher doses," but acknowledged limitations in trying to make a direct comparisons of the two.
In a report earlier this year comparing semaglutide and tirzepatide for diabetics, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review concluded that tirzepatide showed "greater reduction" in weight and other key markers, but "had a greater incidence of gastrointestinal side effects, severe adverse events, and discontinuation compared with semaglutide."
Zepbound carries the risk of an array of potential side effects, the FDA says, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, and hair loss.
Like with other weight loss drugs in this class, some of Zepbound's side effects could be serious.
People with a history of severe gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis, should not use the drug, the FDA says.
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have both faced claims that their drugs can cause stomach paralysis. The FDA recently moved to acknowledge reports of ileus, or a blockage in the intestines, on Ozempic's label.
The agency also notes that other people could be at higher risk of more severe issues from Zepbound, including patients with a history of medullary thyroid cancer, pancreas inflammation, or severe gastrointestinal disease.
It also should not be combined with other so-called GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, which include its sibling Mounjaro, as well as Wegovy and Ozempic.
"The safety and effectiveness of coadministration of Zepbound with other medications for weight management have not been established," the agency says.
- In:
- Eli Lilly
- Ozempic
- Weight Loss
CBS News reporter covering public health and the pandemic.
veryGood! (4122)
Related
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- What does it take to be an armored truck guard?
- Microsoft blames Outlook and cloud outages on cyberattack
- ‘A Death Spiral for Research’: Arctic Scientists Worried as Alaska Universities Face 40% Funding Cut
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- Why do some people get UTIs over and over? A new report holds clues
- Human composting: The rising interest in natural burial
- Weaponizing the American flag as a tool of hate
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Oceans Are Melting Glaciers from Below Much Faster than Predicted, Study Finds
Ranking
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- MLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time
- West Virginia's COVID vaccine lottery under scrutiny over cost of prizes, tax issues
- Trump Weakens Endangered Species Protections, Making It Harder to Consider Effects of Climate Change
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Ticks! Ick! The latest science on the red meat allergy caused by some tick bites
- From Antarctica to the Oceans, Climate Change Damage Is About to Get a Lot Worse, IPCC Warns
- Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Jamil was struggling after his daughter had a stroke. Then a doctor pulled up a chair
Baltimore Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. opens up on future plans, recovery from ACL injury
Siberian Wildfires Prompt Russia to Declare a State of Emergency
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Clean Energy Manufacturers Spared from Rising Petro-Dollar Job Losses
Amazon Reviewers Call This Their Hot Girl Summer Dress
This Week in Clean Economy: NYC Takes the Red Tape Out of Building Green