What tirzepatide is, how it powers Mounjaro, weight-loss evidence, UK licensing, and how dual-action GLP-1/GIP differs from semaglutide.
Tirzepatide is the drug name for the Mounjaro product, which is a recently licensed type 2 diabetes medicine that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US.
In clinical trials it has returned strong results for weight loss with participants achieving an average weight reduction of 21.4%.
When compared with the results of Novo Nordisk’s clinical trials for Wegovy, Tirzepatide has returned some very strong results verses Novo Nordisk’s Semaglutide.
However, the medication is not licensed for use in the UK and there are no immediate plans for this to enter the UK market.
Whilst it may be discouraging that tirzepatide isn’t available in the UK yet, there are a number of licensed, effective weight loss medications that are available and are effective treatment options.
How does Tirzepatide work?
Tirzepatide is a novel first-in-class drug that is used to treat type 2 diabetes and licensed in the US. The tirzepatide drug is a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and GLP-1 receptor agonist. GIP and GLP-1 are hormones called incretins that are released by the intestines.
Both GIP and GLP-1 increase the production of insulin, with GLP-1 promoting a feeling of fullness and delaying stomach emptying and controlling appetite.
GIP has an effect to reduce fat accumulation, increases bone formation, increases glucagon production, and reduces acid secretion in the stomach.
The combination of GIP and GLP-1 agonists makes tirzepatide a unique and very effective medication.
The medication is administered as a once weekly subcutaneous injection into the midriff, upper arm or thigh.
The medication is titrated on a 5mg, 10mg and 15mg dosage dependant on blood sugar and the propensity for side effects from a patient.
