Zepbound tops Wegovy for weight reduction in first head-to-head research evaluating the medicine

Those that take tirzepatide, the drug bought as Zepbound and Mounjaro, might lose extra weight than those that take semaglutide, generally known as Ozempic and Wegovy, in line with new analysis. 

A research, revealed Sunday within the New England Journal of Drugs, discovered tirzepatide customers misplaced about 20% of their physique weight, whereas these on semaglutide misplaced about 14% over a 72-week interval. 

“That interprets to a couple of distinction of eight kilos on common between the 2 medicine,” Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS Information medical contributor and editor-at-large for public well being at KFF Well being Information, stated on “CBS Mornings” Monday.

Notably, the research was funded by Lilly, the maker of tirzepatide.

“So that you all the time must take that with a grain of salt,” Gounder stated, including afterward “CBS Mornings Plus” that the analysis “does look legit, and we now have seen hints of this in different research.”

In an emailed assertion to CBS Information Monday, a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, stated each Wegovy and Zepbound have demonstrated clinically important weight discount in medical trial applications.

The assertion additionally stated, partially, that “strong information” supporting Wegovy’s “significant and distinctive advantages proceed to develop” and that along with “providing important and sustained weight reduction,” Wegovy is “the one weight problems drugs authorised to cut back the danger of main antagonistic cardiovascular occasions in adults with chubby or weight problems and identified coronary heart illness backed by real-world proof.”

Gounder additionally stated the medicine aren’t nearly weight reduction, and pointed to extra well being advantages.

“We’re seeing individuals’s blood stress come down, their diabetes numbers, their blood sugars enhance, their ldl cholesterol numbers enhance,” she stated. “So this isn’t simply the burden loss, it is also well being indicators.”

The worth of those medicine, nevertheless, stays excessive. On common, they’ll value over $1,000 out of pocket. If ordered by way of the drugmakers instantly, you could possibly pay lower than $500 out of pocket. General, just one in 4 insurance coverage corporations cowl these medicines, Gounder stated.

“Massive image, there’s nonetheless lots that must be accomplished on insurance coverage protection,” she stated. “There was a proposal underneath Biden to develop protection to these medicine underneath Medicare, the Trump administration pulled again on that, and a number of, as I stated, personal insurance coverage corporations nonetheless do not cowl these medicines for weight problems.”