Diabetes Drugs help in Weight Loss

According to a new study, a weekly dose of a medicine newly approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat type 2 Diabetes may also help persons without Diabetes lose weight. Tirzepatide, marketed under the trade name Mounjaro, was tested in non-diabetic persons at three different doses: 5, 10, and 15 mg. Participants with obesity or overweight who received the 5-milligram dosage lost an average of 35 pounds, those who received the 10-milligram dose lost an average of 49 pounds, and those who received the 15-milligram dose lost an average of 52 pounds.

In a press conference, coauthor Dr. Ania Jastreboff, co-director of the Yale Center for Weight Management, remarked, “Almost 40% of people dropped a quarter of their body weight.” “The data was extremely amazing,” said Dr. Robert Gabbay, the American Diabetes Association’s chief medical officer, speaking to CNN from the ADA’s 82nd Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, where the study’s findings were presented. “The weight reduction in this study was much more than what had been found in prior studies of persons with Diabetes,” said Gabbay, who was not involved in the research.

Over the course of the 72-week double-blinded, randomized clinical trial, persons without Diabetes lost an average of 15% to 20.9 percent of their initial body weight, according to the findings, which were published Saturday in The New England Journal of Medicine. Participants who received a placebo dropped an average of 2.4 percent to 3.1 percent of their body weight