April 27, 2023 – A diabetes drug could soon receive FDA approval for weight reduction after manufacturer Eli Lilly said Thursday that patients had lost significant weight after 72 weeks of treatment.
The drug tirzepatide helped patients lose as much as 15.7 percent of their body weight in a Phase III study. The study involved 938 adults with obesity or chubby and kind 2 diabetes, Lilly said in a press release.
Compared to placebo, patients lost a mean of 13.4% of their body weight (29.8 kilos) with a 10-milligram dose and 15.7% (34.4 kilos) with a 15-milligram dose.
The company said it would present full results of the study at an upcoming meeting of the American Diabetes Association and submit them to a peer-reviewed journal. Lilly said it would seek FDA regulatory approval based on the outcomes “in the coming weeks” and expects the FDA to act by the tip of this 12 months.
Tirzepatide belongs to a category of medicine often known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Other drugs of this kind are already approved within the United States for weight reduction, including semaglutide, a once-weekly injectable approved as Wegovy for patients with obesity and Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
These drugs have grow to be extremely popular with celebrity influencers and thru using the hashtag #Ozempic and others on social media, they've led to an unprecedented use of those drugs for weight reduction, often in individuals who don't suffer from obesity or type 2 diabetes. Due to this popularity, patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity have difficulty obtaining these drugs as shortages occur because of this of this phenomenon.