A new clinical study compared medicines MOUNJARO from Eli Lilly, and the Wegovy from the new Nordisk – considered the “brother” of Ozempic – and showed that the first is more effective for weight loss than the second . The results of the work were announced on Sunday (11) at the European Congress of Obesity (ECO) and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
According to the work, the participants treated with tirzepatida – the molecule that makes up the Mounjaro – reached an average weight reduction of 20.2% compared to 13.7% semaglutado – Molecule that makes up both Ozempic and Wegovy. On average, the patients using thypatide lost 22.8 kg, while those who were in use of semaglutado lost 15.0 kg. The results were obtained after 72 weeks based on the estimation of treatment regime.
In a main secondary outcome of the same study, tirzepatida has achieved higher results in all body weight reduction targets, with 64.6% of participants in the use of thypatide reaching at least 15% weight loss compared to 40.1% of those treated with semaglutado.
In addition, patients treated with Mounjaro reached a higher average abdominal circumference reduction of 18.4 cm, while wegovy treaties had an average reduction of 13 cm.
How was the study done?
The study, called SUROUNT-5, was a phase 3B work that compared the effectiveness and safety of semaglutide tirzepatida in adults with obesity or overweight that had no diabetes, but had at least one of the following comorbidities: hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea (AS) or cardiovascular disease.
Participants of both treatment groups received guidance on a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity. In total, 751 participants from the United States and Puerto Rico, randomized (randomly selected) in a ratio of 1: 1 to receive the maximum tolerated dose of tirzepatida (10 mg or 15 mg) or semaglutado (1.7 mg or 2.4 mg).
With tirzepatida, 89.3% of participants received at least one 15 mg dose and with 92.8% of participants received at least one dose of 2.4 mg.
The preliminary results of the study had already been released in December 2024. Now, the work was reviewed by peers and officially published in a scientific journal.
“The study stands out for rigorously evaluating two highly effective drugs, with tirzepatitating higher results, a higher rate of positive outcomes for patients and a similar safety profile, with fewer side effects,” says Bruno Halpern, vice president of the Brazilian Association for Study of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (Abeso). He was not involved in the study.
“With a wider range of available medicines, we can develop ideal treatment strategies, adapted to each patient,” he says. “In the past, weight reductions were limited to at most 5%; today we are reaching impressive reductions of 15%to 20%,” he adds.
MOUNJARO and WEGOVY: What is the difference?
Wegovy and Mounjaro, although they have similar results, are composed of different active principles.
The first is made up of Semaglutado, a drug from the LPG-1 hormone analog class that acts on insulin secretion by the pancreas, regulating blood glucose and also promoting the reduction of appetite. SEMAGLUTIDO is the same active ingredient as Ozempic, indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
The Mounjaro is composed of thypatide, a double agonist molecule of LPG-1 and GIP, hormones generated in the gut and released after meals. This means that the drug has the ability to stimulate both GLP-1 and GIP action, increasing insulin production through the pancreas to maintain blood sugar control.
In previous studies, Mounjaro had already shown to be more powerful than Ozepic and Wegovy for weight loss. In the analysis, both drugs were effective for weight loss, but 82% of people who have been tirzepatida reached a 5% initial weight reduction after one year of use, compared to about 67% of those who took semaglutado.
Mounjaro was approved in Brazil for type 2 diabetes
Mounjaro was approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in Brazil in September 2023 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Although it is effective for weight loss, its use for obesity treatment has not yet been approved by the regulatory agency.
According to Luiz Magno, senior medical director of Eli Lilly do Brasil, Lilly do Brasil awaits the regulatory assessment of thypatide for the treatment of obesity. The results of the study SUROUNT-5 reinforce the potential of the molecule for this indication, according to the expert.
“We have more than one billion people who live with obesity in the world and, in Brazil, one in four adults have obesity. This chronic disease is a great public health challenge – we have studies that show more than 200 related complications. Therefore, new treatments with such positive results are important to contribute to the life of those who live with such prevalent disease,” he says.
MOUNJARO: See what Brazilians want to know about the medicine
Was this content originally published in Wegovy or Mounjaro? Study shows which one is best for weight loss on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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