Mounjaro, dubbed the ‘King Kong’ of the new generation of weight loss injections, has beaten rival Ozempic in a head-to-head battle to destroy bulging waistlines.
US scientists compared the two drugs, which work by mimicking a hormone that makes people feel full, in a study of more than 18,000 adults who took one of the weekly injections for up to a year.
At the end of the study, patients taking tirzepatide, the ingredient in Mounjaro, were 224 percent more likely to have lost about one-sixth of their body weight than those taking Ozempic.
People taking Mounjaro, made by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, also lost up to 7 percent more weight on average than those taking semaglutide, the ingredient in Ozempic.
The researchers also found that there was no increased risk of adverse side effects such as diarrhea between the two drugs.
US scientists are pitting Ozempic against Mounjaro in a study involving more than 18,000 adults who took one of the weekly injections for up to a year.
When it came to weight-loss goals, Mounjaro was the clear winner: 82 percent of patients lost at least 5 percent of their total weight, compared with 66 percent of the Ozempic cohort.
These graphs show the different probabilities of patients achieving weight loss goals in Mounjaro (green line) or Ozempic (yellow line) over the course of the study.
In the study, published in the journal JAMA Internal MedicineThe experts compared health data from two cohorts of adult patients with type 2 diabetes who received the vaccines for up to one year.
Of the 18,386 patients, half took Mounjaro and half took Ozempic.
Patients had similar baseline weights to those in the Mounjaro cohort, who weighed 110 kg (approximately 17st 4 lb), and those in the Ozempic group, who weighed slightly less, at 109 kg (17st 1 lb).
The researchers compared the likelihood that each group would meet certain weight loss goals, as well as how much weight they lost, on average, over certain time periods of the study.
When it came to weight loss goals, Mounjaro was the clear winner: 82 percent of patients lost at least 5 percent of their total weight, compared with 66 percent of the Ozempic cohort.
About 60 percent of Mounjaro patients lost 10 percent of their body weight, compared with just under 40 percent of Ozempic patients.
Ultimately, about 42 percent of Mounjaro patients lost 15 percent of their body weight, compared with just 18 percent of those taking Ozempic.
Researchers said this equated to a 76 percent increase in the chances of patients taking Mounjaro reaching the 5 percent weight loss goal, an 84 percent increase in the chances of them losing 10 percent of their starting weight, and a whopping 224 percent increase in the chances of them losing 15 percent or more.
Mounjaro was also the clear leader in terms of average weight lost over the course of the study, looking at intervals of three months, six months and one year.
The researchers found that people taking Mounjaro lost, on average, 2.4 percent, 4.3 percent and 6.9 percent more weight respectively at these points, compared to people taking Ozempic.
Despite greater weight loss seen in the Mounjaro group, the scientists found no differences in reported gastrointestinal side effects, including diarrhea and vomiting, between the two drugs.
The authors concluded: “In this large propensity-matched cohort study, overweight or obese individuals treated with tirzepatide were significantly more likely to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss and greater reductions in body weight compared with those treated with semaglutide.”
However, the researchers noted that their findings only looked at patients with type 2 diabetes who were taking the drugs as part of their weight management.
Both drugs are also now available for obese people without type 2 diabetes, although the version of semaglutide for this purpose is sold under a different name, Wegovy.
The researchers said it would be interesting to see the results of a direct comparison in obese patients only and noted that such a study is currently underway and the results are expected to be published later this year.
The experts, who came from the US health data company Truveta, added that one limitation of the study was that it could not take into account participants’ own motivation to lose weight.
This could mean, for example, that some participants took additional steps to lose weight, such as diet and exercise, which could have influenced the results.
Second, since both vaccines are typically administered by patients at home, some may not have followed the correct dosing regimen, another factor that could influence the results.
Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy are now available in the UK and the US.
Ozempic and Wegovy work by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, while Mounjaro also does the same thing, but also mimics another hormone called GIP. GIP is thought to enhance the effect of GLP-1.
Another difference is that the Mounjaro vaccine is generally administered in higher doses than its rival, another factor that could explain the results.
Wegovy and Ozempic work by stimulating the body to produce a hormone called GLP-1 that is naturally released from the intestines after meals.
According to the latest data, the most common side effects of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro, were digestive problems. Among them, about one in five participants experienced nausea and diarrhea, and about one in ten reported having vomited or diarrhea.
Fat-melting vaccines such as Mounjaro and Ozempic have been hailed on both sides of the Atlantic as a way to combat the scourge of obesity that is increasingly affecting the lives of millions of Britons and Americans.
However, some studies have suggested that they also have a number of other benefits, including reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. and kidney disease and recently even some types of cancer.
Some experts have even said they should be given proactively to some patients, similar to statins, in an attempt to curb cardiovascular disease.
However, the injections have been linked to a number of side effects that, like any medication, vary in both frequency and severity.
Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches and dizziness.
Strange symptoms, such as hair loss, have also been reported in some patients.
British ministers plan to distribute the drug to millions of overweight Britons to cut both the country’s bloated benefits bill from sick Britons taking time off work and the rising cost to the NHS of treating excess fat.
The latest figures from the National Health Service (NHS) show that 26% of adults in England are obese and a further 38% are overweight but not obese. In the United States, an estimated 41.9% of the adult population is obese.
It is also estimated that Britain’s expanding waistline costs the country almost £100bn a year.
This colossal figure includes both NHS treatment and the economic side effects, such as loss of income due to people taking time off work.
Although hormone-mimicking injections are designed to help overweight patients become healthier, there has also been growing concern about the number of normal-weight and underweight patients taking them for cosmetic reasons.
Some have even needed emergency room care after receiving vaccines in an attempt to get a “beach-ready” body.
Young women in particular are believed to be obtaining Wegovy through online pharmacies, which offer it for between £150 and £200 ($200-$250) a month, after providing false information about their appearance and health.
In some cases, people who get vaccinated without a legitimate medical reason are thought to be doing so as a result of eating disorders.
Rising global demand for vaccines, even among those receiving them for cosmetic reasons, has meant that some diabetes patients are struggling to access supplies.
It has also led pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy, to enjoy a huge boom in profits.
Earlier this year, the Danish company revealed it was making £32m a day as countries struggling with the financial cost of fat scramble to get their hands on vaccines.
Analysis suggests combined sales of the company’s Ozempic and Wegovy brands generated £20.5bn this year.
Other drugs that act on a similar basis to Mounjaro and Ozempic are also in development, such as retatrutide, also manufactured by Eli Lilly.