Mounjaro bests Ozempic for weight loss in first head-to-head comparison of real-world use

In nan first head-to-head comparison of 2 blockbuster narcotics utilized successful real-world conditions, group who took Mounjaro mislaid importantly much weight than their counterparts who took Ozempic — and nan longer nan patients kept taking nan drugs, nan wider nan spread became.

After 3 months of play injections, patients connected Ozempic mislaid 3.6% of their assemblage weight, connected average, while those connected Mounjaro mislaid an mean of 5.9%.

At nan six-month mark, Ozempic patients had dropped an mean of 5.8% of their weight, while nan mean weight nonaccomplishment for Mounjaro patients was 10.1%.

And erstwhile a afloat twelvemonth had passed, those taking Ozempic had mislaid an mean of 8.3% of their weight, while those taking Mounjaro had shed an mean of 15.3%.

The researchers who conducted nan study besides recovered that compared pinch group connected Ozempic, those connected Mounjaro were 2.5 times much apt to suffer astatine slightest 10% of their first weight and much than 3 times arsenic apt to suffer astatine slightest 15% of their weight during their first twelvemonth connected nan medications.

The findings were published Monday successful JAMA Internal Medicine.

Dr. Matthew Freeby, an endocrinologist and head of nan Gonda Diabetes Center astatine UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine, said nan study results are successful statement pinch what he has observed successful his ain patients.

“From a weight-loss perspective, and from a sugar-lowering position for those pinch Type 2 diabetes, we spot stronger effects pinch Mounjaro compared to Ozempic,” said Freeby, who was not progressive successful nan research.

Both narcotics were approved by nan U.S. Food and Drug Administration to thief group pinch diabetes support their humor sweetener nether control. By mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1, aliases GLP-1, they boost nan body’s accumulation of insulin, slow digestion, summation feelings of satiety and trim appetite.

Mounjaro besides imitates a related hormone called glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, aliases GIP.

When nan narcotics were tested against placebos successful objective trials, some helped patients suffer a important magnitude of weight. Tirzepatide, nan progressive constituent successful Mounjaro, appeared to beryllium much effective than semaglutide, nan progressive constituent successful Ozempic. But nan tests weren’t conducted nether nan aforesaid conditions, truthful nan results aren’t straight comparable.

Researchers from Truveta, a healthcare information and analytics institution owned by 30 wellness systems, sought to remedy that by examining their trove of physics wellness records. The activity besides gave them a chance to spot how patients fared extracurricular nan idealized mounting of a objective trial, which typically provides free medication, regular check-ups and different types of support.

With nan thief of their database, nan researchers were capable to spot group who filled their first medicine for either supplier betwixt May 2022 — nan period Mounjaro joined Ozempic successful receiving FDA approval — and September 2023. Patients didn’t request to person Type 2 glucosuria to beryllium included successful nan study, but they did person to beryllium overweight (with a body wide index of astatine slightest 27) aliases obese (with a BMI of astatine slightest 30).

The Truveta squad recovered astir 41,000 group crossed much than 30 states who met each their criteria for being included successful nan study. Since Ozempic patients outnumbered Mounjaro patients by a separator of 3-to-1, nan researchers utilized accusation connected age, race, income, wellness history and different factors to travel up pinch a group of Ozempic patients that astir intimately matched nan Mounjaro patients. The consequence was a organization of astir 18,400 who were evenly divided betwixt nan 2 drugs.

Before their first medicine dose, nan mean weight for group successful some groups was 243 pounds. But it didn’t return agelong for nan 2 groups to diverge.

After accounting for unmeasured influences that could person skewed nan results, nan Truveta squad recovered that nan magnitude of weight mislaid was 2.4 percent points higher for Mounjaro patients than for Ozempic patients aft 3 months, 4.3 percent points higher aft six months, and 6.9 percent points higher aft a year.

Mounjaro besides bested Ozempic successful position of people’s occurrence successful meting various milestones wrong a twelvemonth of starting connected 1 of nan drugs.

Nearly 82% of Mounjaro patients mislaid astatine slightest 5% of their assemblage weight, compared pinch 67% of patients who took Ozempic. Likewise, 62% of Mounjaro patients and 37% of Ozempic patients mislaid astatine slightest 10% of their first weight, while 42% of Mounjaro patients and 18% of Ozempic patients mislaid astatine slightest 15% of their starting weight.

The researchers didn’t analyse nan biologic mechanisms of nan 2 drugs, but study leader Tricia Rodriguez, a main applied intelligence pinch Truveta Research, said Mounjaro whitethorn person been much effective because it useful 2 ways alternatively of conscionable one.

The large spread successful effectiveness wasn’t accompanied by a measurable quality successful nan complaint of mean aliases terrible broadside effects for illustration bowel obstructions and pancreatitis, which were uncommon for patients successful some groups. The researchers didn’t comparison nan consequence of milder problems for illustration nausea and vomiting because group wouldn’t needfully study them to their doctors, Rodriguez said.

Regardless of which supplier they took, patients pinch Type 2 glucosuria mislaid little weight than patients without nan disease, nan researchers found. That mightiness beryllium explained by nan truth that definite glucosuria treatments tin origin weight gain, and that immoderate patients eat much passim nan time to support their humor sweetener from getting excessively low, Freeby said.

It’s besides imaginable that group who sought prescriptions for Ozempic aliases Mounjaro pinch nan extremity of slimming down were much motivated to support taking nan supplier moreover if it was expensive aliases caused uncomfortable broadside effects, aliases that they were much apt to adopt different behaviors that beforehand weight loss, Rodriguez said.

Figuring this retired is “a important taxable for early research,” she said.

People presently taking Ozempic apt person a much pressing mobility connected their minds: Should I move to Mounjaro?

Dr. Nick Stucky, an infectious illness expert astatine Providence Portland Medical Center and nan study’s elder author, said nan results unsocial should not origin patients to extremity taking a supplier that is moving for them. The consequence of broadside effects, security sum and supplier readiness are things to see arsenic well.

“While tirzepatide was importantly much effective than semaglutide, patients connected some medications knowledgeable important weight loss,” said Stucky, who is besides Truveta’s vice president of research.

Freeby seconded that opinion.

“If personification is doing good pinch a medication, why stone nan boat?” he said.

Freeby added that Ozempic (and its sister medicine Wegovy, which is FDA-approved specifically for weight loss) has astatine slightest 1 advantage complete Mounjaro (and Zepbound, its weight-loss counterpart): In objective trials, Ozempic has been shown to trim nan consequence of bosom attacks, strokes and different cardiovascular problems arsenic good arsenic kidney failure.

“At this point, we don’t person a batch of information connected Mounjaro erstwhile it comes to secondary outcomes,” he said.