Latest news with #LouisAronne
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Study directly compares Zepbound and Wegovy for weight-loss results
Weight-loss medications continue to grow in popularity as an anti-obesity tool — but are some more effective than others? The question was explored in a new study published this month in The New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers compared the safety and efficacy of tirzepatide (brand name Zepbound) and semaglutide (brand name Wegovy) in a 72-week clinical trial. Weight-loss Medications May Also Benefit Common Medical Problem, Study Finds The randomized, controlled trial — called SURMOUNT-5 — included 751 people throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico who had obesity but not type 2 diabetes. "Doctors, insurance companies and patients are always asking, 'Which drug is more effective?'" said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center and the Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research at Weill Cornell Medicine, in the release. "This study allowed us to do a direct comparison." Read On The Fox News App "The results are consistent with — in fact, almost identical to — what we've seen in trials in which these drugs were evaluated independently," added Aronne, who was a principal investigator in the trial. The study found that tirzepatide achieved greater weight loss, with participants shedding about 50 pounds (20.2% of their body weight). The group taking semaglutide lost an average of 33 pounds or 13.7% of their baseline weight, according to a press release summarizing the study outcome. Overall, 32% of the people taking tirzepatide lost at least 25% of their body weight; semaglutide users lost around 16%. Weight Loss, Diabetes Drugs Can Cause Mood Changes: What To Know About Behavioral Side Effects Tirzepatide users also reported a "greater reduction in waist circumference" than those on semaglutide. The likely reason for tirzepatide's greater effectiveness is that it uses a "dual mechanism of action," according to Aronne. "Whereas semaglutide works by activating receptors for a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1, or GLP-1, tirzepatide mimics not only GLP-1, but also an additional hormone, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP)," the release stated. "Together, these actions reduce hunger, lower blood-glucose levels and affect fat cell metabolism." Weight-loss Drugs' Impact On Cancer Risk Revealed In New Study Additional trials are actively exploring whether tirzepatide also reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, a benefit that has been linked to semaglutide. The study was led by an investigator at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. It was also conducted with the University of Texas McGovern Medical School, the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, the University College Dublin and Eli Lilly (maker of Zepbound). The participants all received guidance regarding nutrition and exercise. The reported side effects were very similar for the two drugs, with 44% of people experiencing nausea and 25% having abdominal pain. Weight-loss Drugs To Get Surprising Endorsement From Global Health Giant Dr. Ada Londono, M.D., a board-certified obesity and internal medicine primary care physician with PlushCare — a virtual health platform offering primary care, therapy and weight management services — said she was not surprised by the study's findings. "The results are consistent with prior trials, confirming tirzepatide's advantage over semaglutide's single GLP-1 action," Londono, who is based in New York City, told Fox News Digital. Beyond weight loss, semaglutide has also shown potential benefits for cardiovascular health, sleep apnea and kidney disease, she noted. "These findings highlight the need for continued research to understand tirzepatide's broader health impacts," she said. "It's encouraging to see ongoing studies exploring the full potential of GLP-1 medications beyond weight management." Londono said these treatments can come with side effects. Semaglutide Found To Have Shocking Benefit For Liver Disease Patients In New Study "Most people on these medications only report mild symptoms, but some have experienced more serious reactions, such as pancreatitis," she told Fox News Digital. "This underscores the importance of reviewing your medical history and discussing any concerns with your healthcare provider." The study did have some limitations — chiefly that it was not a blinded analysis and participants knew which medication they were receiving. This could introduce some level of bias, the researchers acknowledged. Londono pointed out that while the study's findings are "promising," it was funded by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Zepbound. "This may raise questions about potential conflicts of interest," she said. "Additionally, the open-label design and 72-week duration may limit objectivity and long-term insight." While the study primarily looked at the impact of the medications, experts agreed there are other factors that play a role in successful weight management. "Weight loss is biological, but it's also emotional, and whole-person support can make the difference between short-term results and sustainable health," Dr. Rekha Kumar, chief medical officer at the weight care program Found and a practicing endocrinologist in New York City, told Fox News Digital. Kumar emphasized the importance of working with a physician to choose a weight-loss medication that matches the patient's personal goals and health status. "For example, if a patient has fatty liver, we will choose the GLP-1 that is proven to work best for liver disease," she said. Looking ahead, the researchers plan to investigate new versions of weight-loss drugs, including retatrutide, which mimics the hormones GLP-1, GIP and glucagon, according to the release. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "Even though drugs like tirzepatide and semaglutide work really well, better than anything we have ever seen, we still have people who don't respond to them," said Aronne. "So, moving forward, we want to keep trying to do better." A spokesperson from Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Wegovy (semaglutide), sent a statement to Fox News Digital. "Across the respective clinical trial programs and in SURMOUNT-5, both Wegovy and Zepbound have demonstrated clinically significant weight reduction," the company said. "It is important to recognize that the comprehensive management of obesity goes beyond weight reduction alone." For more Health articles, visit The spokesperson also pointed out that in a previous trial, adults who were obese or overweight and who took Wegovy along with diet and exercise lost an average of 15.2% of their weight (~35 pounds) at the two-year mark, compared with 2.6% (~6 pounds) for patients taking a article source: Study directly compares Zepbound and Wegovy for weight-loss results
Fox News
26-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Study compares Zepbound and Wegovy for weight loss in direct comparison
Weight-loss medications continue to grow in popularity as an anti-obesity tool — but are some more effective than others? The question was explored in a new study published this month in The New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers compared the safety and efficacy of tirzepatide (brand name Zepbound) and semaglutide (brand name Wegovy) in a 72-week clinical trial. The randomized, controlled trial — called SURMOUNT-5 — included 751 people throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico who had obesity but not type 2 diabetes. "Doctors, insurance companies and patients are always asking, 'Which drug is more effective?'" said Dr. Louis Aronne, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center and the Sanford I. Weill Professor of Metabolic Research at Weill Cornell Medicine, in the release. "This study allowed us to do a direct comparison." "The results are consistent with — in fact, almost identical to — what we've seen in trials in which these drugs were evaluated independently," added Aronne, who was a principal investigator in the trial. The study found that tirzepatide achieved greater weight loss, with participants shedding about 50 pounds (20.2% of their body weight). "Doctors, insurance companies and patients are always asking, 'Which drug is more effective?'" The group taking semaglutide lost an average of 33 pounds or 13.7% of their baseline weight, according to a press release summarizing the study outcome. Overall, 32% of the people taking tirzepatide lost at least 25% of their body weight; semaglutide users lost around 16%. Tirzepatide users also reported a "greater reduction in waist circumference" than those on semaglutide. The likely reason for tirzepatide's greater effectiveness is that it uses a "dual mechanism of action," according to Aronne. "Whereas semaglutide works by activating receptors for a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1, or GLP-1, tirzepatide mimics not only GLP-1, but also an additional hormone, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP)," the release stated. "Together, these actions reduce hunger, lower blood-glucose levels and affect fat cell metabolism." Additional trials are actively exploring whether tirzepatide also reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, a benefit that has been linked to semaglutide. The study, which was led by an investigator at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, was also conducted with the University of Texas McGovern Medical School, the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, the University College Dublin and Eli Lilly (maker of Zepbound). The participants all received guidance regarding nutrition and exercise. The reported side effects were very similar for the two drugs, with 44% experiencing nausea and 25% having abdominal pain. Dr. Ada Londono, MD, a board-certified obesity and internal medicine primary care physician with PlushCare — a virtual health platform offering primary care, therapy and weight management services — said she was not surprised by the study's findings. "The results are consistent with prior trials, confirming tirzepatide's advantage over semaglutide's single GLP-1 action," Londono, who is based in New York City, told Fox News Digital. Beyond weight loss, semaglutide has also shown potential benefits for cardiovascular health, sleep apnea and kidney disease, she noted. "These findings highlight the need for continued research to understand tirzepatide's broader health impacts," she said. "It's encouraging to see ongoing studies exploring the full potential of GLP-1 medications beyond weight management." Londono pointed out that these treatments can come with side effects. "Most people on these medications only report mild symptoms, but some have experienced more serious reactions, such as pancreatitis," she told Fox News Digital. "This underscores the importance of reviewing your medical history and discussing any concerns with your healthcare provider." The study did have some limitations — chiefly that it was not a blinded analysis and participants knew which medication they were receiving. This could introduce some level of bias, the researchers acknowledged. Londono pointed out that while the study's findings are "promising," it was funded by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Zepbound. "This may raise questions about potential conflicts of interest," she said. "Additionally, the open-label design and 72-week duration may limit objectivity and long-term insight." While the study primarily looked at the impact of the medications, experts agreed that there are other factors that play a role in successful weight management. "Weight loss is biological, but it's also emotional, and whole-person support can make the difference between short-term results and sustainable health," Dr. Rekha Kumar, chief medical officer at the weight care program Found and a practicing endocrinologist in New York City, told Fox News Digital. Kumar emphasized the importance of working with a physician to choose a weight-loss medication that matches the patient's personal goals and health status. "Both Wegovy and Zepbound have demonstrated clinically significant weight reduction." "For example, if a patient has fatty liver, we will choose the GLP-1 that is proven to work best for liver disease," she said. Looking ahead, the researchers plan to investigate new versions of weight-loss drugs, including retatrutide, which mimics the hormones GLP-1, GIP and glucagon, according to the release. "Even though drugs like tirzepatide and semaglutide work really well, better than anything we have ever seen, we still have people who don't respond to them," said Aronne. "So, moving forward, we want to keep trying to do better." A spokesperson from Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Wegovy (semaglutide), sent the below statement to Fox News Digital. "Across the respective clinical trial programs and in SURMOUNT-5, both Wegovy and Zepbound have demonstrated clinically significant weight reduction. It is important to recognize that the comprehensive management of obesity goes beyond weight reduction alone." For more Health articles, visit The spokesperson also pointed out that in a previous trial, adults with obesity or overweight who took Wegovy along with diet and exercise had lost an average of 15.2% of their weight (~35 pounds) at the two-year mark, compared with 2.6% (~6 pounds) for patients taking a placebo.
Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Weight-loss jab Mounjaro helps people shed much more weight than rival
Weight-loss jab Mounjaro – dubbed the 'King Kong' of similar medicines – helps people shed significantly more weight than rival Wegovy, new research suggests. Key research pitching the drugs against each other found Mounjaro was superior when it came to shedding pounds and losing inches, though both drugs worked. Experts presented their findings at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga and published them in the New England Journal of Medicine. Both Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) are weight-loss medicines that make people feel fuller for longer and therefore less hungry. The new randomised controlled trial involved 751 adult with obesity, but without type 2 diabetes. They received either Mounjaro at the maximum tolerated dose (10mg or 15mg) or Wegovy (1.7mg or 2.4mg) once a week for 72 weeks. The typical age of the people was 45 and most (65%) were female, with a typical body mass index (BMI) of 39. All had at least one known obesity-related complication, such as high blood pressure, sleep apnoea or heart disease. The typical drop in body weight at the end of the trial was a 20.2% reduction with Mounjaro and 13.7% with Wegovy, showing Mounjaro was superior. The drop in waist circumference was also 18.4cm on average with Mounjaro and 13cm with Wegovy. People on Mounjaro were more likely to reach their weight loss goals. One limitation to the study was that people knew which drug they were taking, though the researchers said the findings were in line with previous studies. The research was sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company, the manufacturer of Mounjaro. Our study shows that treatment with tirzepatide was superior to semaglutide with respect to reduction in body weight and waist circumference Dr Louis Aronne, from Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, who led the work, said the dual action of Mounjaro may explain the findings. Both Mounjaro and Wegovy mimic a hormone produced in the body called GLP-1 – a substance that is released in the gut when people consume food. This hormone slows the rate at which food is emptied from the stomach, reduces appetite via the brain and works on insulin levels. But Mounjaro also mimics another hormone known as GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). Dr Aronne said: 'Our study shows that treatment with tirzepatide was superior to semaglutide with respect to reduction in body weight and waist circumference. 'Tirzepatide, while a single molecule, pharmacologically activates two metabolic receptors, GIP and GLP-1, which have both overlapping and non-overlapping expression and function. 'This dual agonism of tirzepatide may contribute to the higher weight reduction observed in the current study compared to semaglutide, a mono-agonist.' As people lost weight in the study, health factors such as blood pressure and unhealthy blood fats all improved. Speaking at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain on Sunday, Dr Aronne said: 'This is actually the first head-to-head trial of two obesity medications, so I think we're going to start seeing more of these as new medications become available. 'I saw a list the other day of 150 medications… that are now in development, so many people now realise how important it is to manage body weight in addition to other metabolic factors. 'I've called it the golden age of obesity treatment. It took a long time!' Dr Aronne said semaglutide still remained an 'extremely effective' weight loss medication and that the trial did not intended to minimise its effects. He added: 'For example, if you have a patient with a BMI of 32, which is class one obesity, they could get to a BMI in the mid 20s, right around 25 (with semaglutide), which is normal. 'So the majority of people with obesity will do just fine on semaglutide. People at the higher end – class two, class three obesity – may ultimately do better with tirzepatide.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Popular injected weight loss medications work better for one sex. Researchers want to know why
You've probably heard the stories: For every man who has cut carbs from his diet and dropped 10 pounds, there's a woman who's done exactly the same thing and lost 2. Research backs up this frustrating fact. Diet and exercise tend to benefit men much more than women when it comes to losing weight. That's why the results of recent clinical trials were surprising — and welcome — for some: In study after study, injected GLP-1 weight loss medications appear to work better on average for women than they do for men. What's not clear is why. And researchers say it's important to understand so doctors can optimize the use of these powerful drugs for everyone. The latest study to see this effect was presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the European Congress on Obesity and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. It was the first head-to-head comparison of the injectable GLP-1 medications semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are sold under the brand names Wegovy and Zepbound for weight loss. Roughly 750 people with obesity were randomly split into two groups. Half were assigned to get the maximum dose of Wegovy they could tolerate; the other half used the maximum dose of Zepbound. Zepbound is newer medication than Wegovy. It stimulates two different gut hormones that affect appetite and blood sugar, while Wegovy primarily affects the action of one. Many doctors have observed that Zepbound seems to be a more powerful medication than Wegovy, so it was not surprising when this trial – which was sponsored by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Zepbound – arrived at the same conclusion. People in the study who were using Zepbound lost about 50% more weight those who got Wegovy, making it the superior drug in terms of weight loss. One curious thing about the study was that all the participants lost a little bit less weight, on average, than has been measured with the same medications in other trials. Researchers say that result was driven by men, who lost about 6% less weight than women. About 35% of participants in this study were men, while 20% to 25% of participants in previous trials have been male. 'Why this works better in women, I can't honestly tell you, but it's great,' said Dr. Louis Aronne, who directs the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and who led the study. 'It has been seen again and again.' For example, in long-term follow up of a trial that compared semaglutide to a placebo, women using semaglutide for two years lost an average of 11% of their starting weight, while men using the drug lost an average of 8%. Across trials of tirzepatide that compared it to a placebo, women on the drug lost up to 28% of their starting weight, while men lost up to 19% of their weight. There could be a host of reasons for this, spanning numerous aspects of biology and culture, said Dr. Melanie Jay, an obesity expert and professor of medicine at New York University's Grossman School of Medicine. The first has to do with drug dosing. Women tend to weigh a little bit less than men but are prescribed the same doses, so it may be that they're getting more for their size. 'So maybe they're getting a higher dose,' Jay said. It might also have something to do with where women store fat. Jay said women tend to have more cutaneous fat, or fat under their skin, than visceral fat, or fat that's packed around the internal organs like the liver. Perhaps the drugs are more effective on one type of fat than the other. Women also face more societal pressure to be thin, Jay said, and this could lead to greater motivation to stay on the medications, which aren't always easy to take. Jay said she's seen this in her own practice. Women seem to be more willing to tolerate and work through the significant side effects of the drugs, which can include regular nausea, vomiting and constipation. 'I have had a few more men be like, 'I can't take the constipation or the nausea,' whereas the women usually figure out how to get through it,' Jay said. She said the side effects tend to get better over time, as people learn how to eat differently and start to exercise more. One of the most intriguing clues to explain why women benefit more from the GLP-1 medications has to do with the hormone estrogen, which women have in higher amounts than men. Dr. Karolina Skibicka is a professor of molecular medicine at the University of Gothenberg in Sweden and has a lab in the nutrition department at Penn State University. 'Overall, I'm a neuroscientist interested in gut-brain communication,' which is how she began studying GLP-1, a gut hormone that also works in the brain. Skibicka says scientists have known that estrogen plays a role in metabolism for about 30 years, but they didn't really understand how. Her research in rats has shown that estrogen directly interacts with GLP-1 and other gut hormones, making them more potent in the brain. Several studies have shown that if you inject rats with GLP-1 and estrogen together, 'you will see a very enhanced effect sort of across the board, on feeding behavior, motivated behavior, various other aspects of GLP-1 actions,' she said. You can test this interaction in a another way, she said. If you block the action of estrogen with a chemical inhibitor, it turns down the effect of GLP-1, too. 'If we take it away, the effect is reduced, so the animals will eat a little bit more now, or GLP-1 is just not as effective as suppressing feeding or suppressing food reward behavior, maybe more specifically, when we take away estrogen,' she said. Estrogen appears to amplify the effects of GLP-1 by increasing the number of receptors — think of them as boat docks — on the surface of cells where this gut hormone can attach. In many tissues, she says, cells have receptors for both estrogen and GLP-1. 'So then you sort of have an amplified effect inside the cell as well.' Although all of these theories are interesting, they are just educated guesses at this point. 'We're really dealing with paucity of data compared to just sort of the baseline data that you have about what GLP-1 does,' Skibicka said. 'Clinical studies don't really ask and don't really confirm why they see a difference.' Both Jay and Skibicka said sex differences typically go unexplored when it comes to drugs, and the GLP-1 medications are no exception. In studies that do report data by sex, women may lose 50% to 90% more weight than men, but they also seem to report more GI side effects, Skibicka said. Men seem to get more cardiovascular benefits from the medications than women. Although most studies don't find that GLP-1 medications negatively affect mood, some have shown that this may differ by sex, with women being more likely to experience depression on the medications than men. Understanding the impacts of these sex differences could be important for all patients. If estrogen affects how strongly the medications work, that may have implications for the treatment of women before or after menopause, since estrogen levels fall in women as they age. It may also impact how well GLP-1 medications work for women on hormone-blocking therapies after breast cancer, for example. It may lead to strategies that help nonresponders, the people who don't seem to lose weight on the drugs, and people who stop losing weight before they reach their weight loss goals. Jay said that understanding the mechanisms behind the sex differences could help with adherence to the medications, too. 'I think those things are really important to know, because maybe there's something else that we could give men alongside it that could enhance it … or we could change the dosing,' Jay said. 'Men and women have different biologies, and we can't treat them always the same.'
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'Golden age' of weight loss jabs coming – some are about to get a lot cheaper
Scientists herald 150 new jabs and pills to tackle obesity going through the research pipeline - but issue urgent warning to the NHS A 'golden age' of weight loss drugs is on the horizon which could finally reverse the rising tide of obesity, scientists say. The leader of the first head-to-head trial comparing the two leading appetite-suppressing jabs revealed at the European Obesity Congress in Malaga, Spain, there are 150 more such drugs in the pipeline. A host of obesity experts have called on the NHS to urgently ramp up capacity at its weight loss clinics so pills and jabs can be cheaply prescribed to much of the population as they come 'off patent'. Professor Jason Halford, of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said: 'If the government and NHS are serious about prevention they need to reconsider their position on the speed of the rollout of these drugs, as this evidence comes to light. "In ten years time the landscape is going to be completely different. There will be lots more obesity drugs available, they should be in more usable forms and they should be a lot more affordable.' Dr Louis Aronne, director at Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, US, led a trial showing the Mounjaro jab saw users lose 50% more weight than Wegovy, and that newer versions would keep getting better. He said: 'I think we're going to see more medications. The other day I saw a list of 150 medications, many GLP-1s, but also other mechanisms. I call it the golden age of obesity treatment.' 'They will be less expensive, and hopefully the oral small molecules which are cheaper to manufacture and distribute. I think health systems should be ready to roll them out at scale.' Obesity rates have been rising globally for the last 30 years and more than a billion people are now considered obese. This has contributed to a rising tide of chronic illness, particularly in the West, where we live longer with diseases such as cancer, heart disease, dementia and diabetes placing a huge burden on healthcare systems. Pharmaceutical companies are pumping tens of billions of pounds into a new generation of appetite-suppressing medicines which could finally help reverse the rise in obesity. Weight loss pills are expected to take over from injections making them more readily available. Prof Halford added: 'The Holy Grail would be the small molecule, something that works as a hormone would do. But we could take orally like a regular tablet and that's where I think we will be going in probably the next 10 years. In a decade from now we'll have some of the medications off license so they'll be much cheaper. The more treatment we have, the more competition we have, the lower the prices. At the moment the NHS rollout does not take into account the number of medications potentially available in the next 10 years.' Novo Nordisk manufactures market leading jabs Wegovy and Ozempic, for type 2 diabetes which are both due to come 'off patent' in the coming years so generic versions will be sold for a few pence rather than hundreds of pounds. It also has a pill form of the drugs going through clinical trials. Another study presented at the conference showed Wegovy halved the risk of dying from stroke or heart attack in people with obesity and cardiovascular disease. The Select trial also found Wegovy protected against heart disease even before people had lost any weight, possibly by reducing inflammation. Author Professor Donna Ryan, presenting the findings from manufacturer Novo Nordisk, said they "should change public policy everywhere". She added: "I think what our study today does is it further emphasises there is no need to wait. There's always inertia in medicine. We're slow moving. What this analysis says is that this treatment works early - so why wait?' Currently around half a million Brits are taking the weekly jabs, mainly by paying for private prescriptions, despite over four million being eligible for them on the NHS. NHS England responded justifying its gradual rollout of jabs such as Mounjaro, which will only see 220,000 people being prescribed it in the next three years due to the cost and resources needed to provide accompanying weight management support from a specialist. Dr Claire Fuller, NHS England's medical director for primary care, said: 'Weight loss drugs are a powerful part of our arsenal to tackle obesity and support people to lose weight and reduce their risk of other illnesses like diabetes, heart attacks and stroke. From next month, some eligible patients will be able to access the weight loss drug Mounjaro for the first time. The drug has already been approved for use for some adults in specialist weight management services, and 220,000 people will be eligible to benefit over the first three years. 'This phased roll out will ensure those with the greatest clinical need can access the treatment as a priority, at the same time as the NHS develops new and innovative services through which other weight loss treatments can also be delivered in the future. Local NHS organisations will be providing further information on how patients can access services in due course.' The powerful drugs must be prescribed alongside specialist support to help people transform their diet and activity levels. Without substantial lifestyle changes users will pile the weight back on if they ever come off the jabs. Some people have to stop taking them due to side effects, such as vomiting. Novo Nordisk patented its blockbuster GLP-1 drug semaglutide in both its branded forms Ozempic and Wegovy. Its 'core' patient expires in 2026 but the pharmaceutical company has 220 'secondary' patients in 28 countries which could extend its market exclusivity to 2033. After then the price of drugs based on its semaglutide molecule will plummet and the availability of generic versions of the drugs will explode. Other first-generation weight loss jabs such as liraglutide, sold under the brand names Saxenda for obesity and Victoza for diabetes, and dulaglutide, brand name Trulicity, are set to see their patents expire soon paving the way for generic alternatives. Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, director at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'A generation ago, effective drugs for obesity would have been a pipe dream. Yet here we are with the potential to make a massive dent in the number of lives cut too short by cardiovascular disease and other conditions such as dementia and cancer. It is imperative that the health service embraces this opportunity and ensures those in need of these lifesaving treatments can access them.' Big pharma is competing to find new drugs including one drug dubbed the 'Godzilla' of appetite-suppressing injectables which saw trial participants lose up to 24% of their body weight in less than a year. The weekly jab called retatrutide helps the body burn more fat as well as making users feel more full so they eat less. This twin approach has helped it outperform Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro which only suppress appetite. As well as GLP-1 and GIP hormones, retatrutide targets a third hormone known as glucagon which triggers the body to burn more fat when we move. The trial results showed it helped people with obesity shed 60 pounds on average in just 48 weeks. Women lost even more shedding 28.5% of their body weight compared to 21.2% in the male half of the trial. But experts insist these drug breakthroughs should not stop political leaders from ignoring the root causes of obesity, namely that society is now set up so we usually have cheap, unhealthy food at our finger tips and it is difficult or expensive to make the healthy choice. Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: 'It's no surprise that major pharmaceutical companies are investing heavily in obesity treatment. They recognise the scale of the opportunity. That opportunity exists largely because we've failed to tackle the root causes of obesity.'
