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The management of type 2 diabetes and weight control in people with obesity will have a new ally in Spain starting July 1, the date on which the revolutionary medicine from Lilly Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) can be purchased in pharmacies. which, along with Zepbound, Wegovy and Ozempic (semaglutide), is part of a new generation of drugs that were initially intended to treat diabetes, but also offered surprising results for losing weight.
Mounjaro® (tirzepatide), nicknamed the King Kong of slimming drugs for its weight loss battle shared with Godzilla Ozempic, is administered by subcutaneous injection once a week and has been approved for two main uses: controlling type 2 diabetes. 2 and help in weight management in adults with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 27 kg/m2 who present at least one complication related to excess weight, or in those with a BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 m2. In pharmacies it will only be dispensed with a medical prescription.
How Mounjaro works and in which cases it is indicated
Tirzepatide is the first drug in a new therapeutic class that acts on two types of hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1. These receptors help control blood sugar and also influence appetite and satiety. Furthermore, in people with type 2 diabetes it improves blood sugar levels through several mechanisms, such as increasing insulin secretion and improving sensitivity to this hormone.
Its use is approved by the European Medicines Agency to control weight in people over 18 years of age who are overweight (BMI ≥27 kg/m2 to <30kg/m2) and at least one weight-related comorbidity or obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). It is indicated as a complement to a low-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
This medication has also been approved for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes that is not well controlled, as monotherapy in those patients who cannot take metformin, or as an adjunct to other medications for the treatment of diabetes.
Benefits of tirzepatide demonstrated in scientific studies
Clinical studies have shown promising results. In patients with type 2 diabetes, tirzepatide achieved excellent blood sugar control, with about 87% of patients achieving optimal levels compared to other treatments. Significant weight losses, superior to comparable treatments, and a favorable safety profile were also observed.
For obese people without diabetes, the drug showed notable weight reduction, reaching an average decrease of up to 22.5% of initial weight after 72 weeks. In addition, Mounjaro has demonstrated benefits in cardiometabolic parameters, such as reducing waist circumference and improvements in cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
Tirzepatide has achieved “weight loss with decreases of around 20% with doses of 10 and 15 mg/week in obesity. These data are close to what is achieved after bariatric surgery.”
The development of tirzepatide has been based on extensive clinical trial programs, highlighting the SURPASS studies – in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) – and SURMOUNT (in people with obesity and overweight, without diabetes), “in which demonstrated the powerful effect of the molecule in terms of glycemic control, even achieving normalization of HbA1c levels in up to 51% of people with DM2 treated, and weight loss with decreases of around 20% with doses of 10 and 15 mg/week in obesity. These data are close to what is achieved after bariatric surgery.
Along with this, beneficial effects on different cardiovascular risk factors are observed, although the specific results of the cardiovascular effects will be known later,” explained Dr. Javier Escalada, president of the Spanish Society Foundation, during a press conference. of Endocrinology and Nutrition (FSEEN).
Possible side effects of Mounjaro
The most common side effects of Mounjaro (which may affect more than 1 in 10 people) include digestive problems, such as nausea (feeling sick) and diarrhea. Constipation and vomiting occurred in up to 1 in 10 people. In general, adverse effects related to the digestive system were mild or moderate in intensity and occurred more frequently with adjustment of the Mounjaro dose.
Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, which is more effective for losing weight?
Wegovy and Ozempic were developed by the Danish company Novo Nordisk and share the same active ingredient, semaglutide, but have been marketed under different names and doses. Both are injectable and administered subcutaneously using a pre-filled pen. A recent clinical trial showed that semaglutide is not only effective for weight loss, but also provides cardiovascular benefits.
Since last May 1, Wegoby has been sold in pharmacies with a prescription because patients must receive medical follow-up and follow a healthy diet and introduce changes in their lifestyle, such as practicing physical exercise, to achieve the desired weight loss. . It is not financed by public health and monthly treatment costs between 179.89 euros and 292.03 euros, depending on the dose.
In the clinical trials that have been carried out to test Mounjaro, this drug has demonstrated its superiority over its competitors. Like them, it reduces appetite by increasing the feeling of satiety and improves insulin production, but it acts on two different hormonal receptors: GLP-1 and GIP, and this, in addition to enhancing its action, favors tolerance to the drug, so if Some patients with resistance to semaglutide will have another therapeutic alternative.
Lilly spokespeople claim that their drug produces greater weight loss than the competition. Thus, while Wegovy managed to demonstrate in clinical trials a 17% weight reduction in obese people, the medical team of the North American multinational highlights that Mounjaro reaches 22.5%. “Mounjaro achieves weight losses of 22.5% (about 25 kg), compared to 16-18% for Wegovy, and 96% of patients achieve weight losses greater than 5%. It is not one hundred percent effective, but it is close,” Dr. Escalada also noted.
What price will Mounjaro have in Spain?
The medicine will cost between 100 and 300 euros and at the moment will not be financed by the National Health System. Dr. José Antonio Sacristán, medical director of Lilly Spain, explained that a long-term maintenance treatment will cost about 271 euros per month.
Mounjaro will be available in pharmacies starting July 1 in presentations of 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 mg (doses of 2.5 and 7.5 mg are doses used for escalation; doses of 5 and 10 mg are maintenance doses). The 15mg dose is not yet available in Spain.
“The commercialization of tirzepatide represents a milestone in the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes and obesity. This is a disruptive innovation, which reflects Lilly’s vocation to research and develop medicines that represent a qualitative leap in the treatment of diseases that impact the hope and quality of life of patients,” says Dr. Sacristán. “We are very proud of Spain’s participation in the Tirzepatide clinical research programs. Of the more than 10,000 patients who have participated in the clinical development of Tirzepatide, in Spain 95 centers (35 of them in obesity studies) and 1,128 patients have participated, which reflects the enormous quality of our health system and researchers. Spaniards”, he concludes.
Source: Lilly
