New Ozempic alternative only needs to be taken once a month and leads to ‘substantial weight loss'

The Irish Sun

8 hours ago

A NEW weight loss jab that only needs to be taken once monthly leads to "substantial weight loss", according to early trials.
Drugs
like Wegovy and
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1
A new weight loss jab currently being trialled only needs to be given once a month
Credit: PA
But a new drug currently being trialled by pharmaceutical company Amgen can be given once a month and saw users shed up to 16 per cent of their body weight over the course of a year.
This is bellow the 20 per cent weight loss than can be achieved through Mounjaro - dubbed the 'King Kong' of weight loss jabs - over 18 months.
But scientists behind the new trial said the less frequent dose schedule could encourage people to stick to the treatment.
The drug is called maridebart cafraglutide, or MariTide for short.
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Like Wegoy, Mounjaro and Ozempic, it's
a
, meaning it targets the GLP-1 receptors in the brain and pancreas to reduce appetite and control blood sugar.
But it also targets glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors, which are also involved in managing insulin release, fat storage, metabolism, and appetite.
This is part of the reason the drug needs to be administered less often.
"In this phase two trial, once-monthly maridebart cafraglutide resulted in substantial weight reduction in participants with obesity with or without type 2 diabetes,"
they wrote in
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"Once-monthly therapeutics for obesity may offer sustainable treatment for persons with this highly prevalent, chronic disease.
"Medication at less frequent intervals may improve adherence and reduce barriers, potentially facilitating improvements in long-term health outcomes."
I went on fat jabs but the hair loss was unbelievable so I quit - I'd rather be chubby with hair than skinny and bald
There were 592 people aged 18 or older enrolled in the study - 465 of them were obese, defined as having a BMI of 30 or more, or a BMI of 27 with one obesity-related complication.
The remaining participants had obesity as well as type 2 diabetes.
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They were randomly given monthly maridebart cafraglutide injections or a placebo for a year, at dose of 140, 280, or 420
mg
.
Some participants remained on a stable dose throughout, while others gradually worked up to a higher one.
Participants were asked to report any side effects they experienced from the drug, such as nausea, vomiting, retching, headaches, diarrhoea and constipation
Those with obesity lost 12.3 to 16.2 per cent of their body weight while taking maridebart cafraglutide over 52 weeks, compared to people taking a placebo who only lost 2.5 per cent of their weight.
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As for people with diabetes and obesity, they lost 8.4 to 12.3 per cent of their body weight on the drug, compared to 1.7 per cent weight loss for placebo-takers.
Almost all participants taking maridebart cafraglutide experienced at least one side-effect from the drug - mild to moderate nausea, vomiting and retching were the most frequently reported side-effects.
These effects were less severe when participants gradually built up to a full dose of maridebart cafraglutide, which may be the best way to get people started on it in the
future
.
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Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.'
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.
Two deaths were reported in participants who received maridebart cafraglutide, but both were investigated and deemed unrelated to the drug.
A handful of people taking the drug reported gallbladder issues, which can also be an issue with other weight loss jabs.
Some also experienced depression and suicidal thoughts while participating in the trial. One person taking maridebart cafraglutide and one person on the placebo drug withdrew as a result.
This was a phase two clinical trial, meaning it still needs to be tested on a bigger group of participants over a longer time period.
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Amgen deemed the results promising enough to progress to a phase three trial.
"This phase two dose-ranging trial investigating the efficacy and safety of maridebart cafraglutide, a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist and GIP receptor antagonist administered once monthly or less frequently, showed substantial weight reduction and no new or unexpected safety signals, supporting advancement to phase three," researchers wrote.
They estimated MariTide could lead to even more weight loss, beyond a year of use.
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"A weight plateau was not reached at 52 weeks, with weight continuing a downward trajectory,"
they noted.
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"Therefore, longer-term trials are needed to assess the full weight efficacy of this agent."