Weight loss drugs It is becoming more popular as an anti-obesity tool, but is it more effective than other tools?
This question was explored in a new study published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In a 72-week clinical trial, researchers compared the safety and efficacy of tilzepatide (brand name Zepbound) and semaglutide (brand name Wegovy).
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A randomized controlled trial called Surmount-5 included 751 people across Puerto Rico who were obese but not Type 2 diabetes.
“Practitioners, insurance companies and patients are always asking, ‘Which drugs are more effective?'” said Dr. Lewis Aronne, director of the Center for Integrated Weight Control, and Professor of Sanford I. Weil Metabolic Studies at Weil Cornell Medicine in release. “This study allowed us to make a direct comparison.”
In a 72-week clinical trial, researchers compared the safety and efficacy of tilzepatide (brand name Zepbound) and semaglutide (brand name Wegovy). (istock)
“The results are in fact consistent with what we saw in trials where these drugs were evaluated independently,” added Aronne, the trial’s lead investigator.
This study found that tilzepatide was achieved Greater weight lossparticipants will drain approximately 50 pounds (20.2% of their body weight).
“Doctors, insurance companies and patients are always asking, ‘Which medication is more effective?’ ”
According to a press release summarizing the results of the study, the group taking semaglutide lost an average of 33 pounds or 13.7% of baseline body weight.
Overall, 32% of people taking tilzepatide lost at least 25% of their body weight. Semaglutide users lost about 16%.
Tilzepatide users also reported a “significant reduction in waist perimeter” than semaglutide users.
According to Aronne, the reason for the greater efficacy of tilzepatide is that it uses a “double mechanism of action.”
A randomized controlled trial called Surmount-5 included 751 people across Puerto Rico who were not type 2 diabetes but were obese. (Steve Crist – Corvis/Corvis via Getty Images)
“Semaglutide, on the other hand, functions by activating the receptor for a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 or GLP-1, whereas tilzepatide mimics not only GLP-1, but also an additional hormone, the glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP),” said the release.
“Together, these actions reduce hunger, lower blood glucose levels, and affect adipocyte metabolism.”
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Additional trials are actively investigating whether tilzepatide reduces the risk of Heart attack and strokeadvantages of being linked to semaglutide.
The study, led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and Newyork-Presbyterian, was also conducted at the University of Texas, McGovern Medical School, University of California, University of Los Angeles, David College Dublin, and Eli Lilly (Maker of Zepbound).
This study found that tilzepatide achieved greater weight loss, causing participants to drop approximately 50 pounds (20.2% of body weight). (istock)
All participants received guidance on nutrition and exercise.
The reported side effects were very similar for the two drugs, with 44% experiencing nausea and 25% experiencing abdominal pain.
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Dr. Ada London, Maryland, board certified Obesity and internal medicine Primary care physicians at PlushCare, a virtual health platform that provides primary care, treatment and weight management services, said they were not surprised by the findings.
“The results are consistent with previous trials and confirm the benefits of tilzepatide over the single GLP-1 action of semaglutide,” New York City-based London told Fox News Digital.
Beyond weight loss, semaglutide also shows potential benefits for cardiovascular health, sleep apnea and kidney disease. (istock)
Beyond weight loss, semaglutide also shows potential benefits for cardiovascular health. Sleep apnea And kidney disease, she pointed out.
“These findings highlight the need for ongoing research to understand the broader health effects of tilzepatide,” she said. “It’s encouraging to see ongoing research examining the full potential of GLP-1 drugs beyond weight management.”
Londono noted that these treatments may have side effects.
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“Most people with these medications report only mild symptoms, but some have experienced more severe reactions, such as pancreatitis,” she told Fox News Digital.
“This highlights the importance of reviewing you. Medical history Discuss concerns with healthcare providers. ”
Potential limitations
There were several limitations to this study – primarily it was not a blinded analysis, but participants knew which medications were being received. This could introduce some degree of bias, the researchers acknowledged.
Londono noted that the findings are “promising” but that the funding is provided by Eli Lilly, manufacturer of Zepbound.
“This could raise questions about potential conflicts of interest,” she said. “In addition, open label design and 72-week period could limit objectivity and long-term insights.”
Experts emphasized the importance of working with physicians to select weight loss medication that suits the patient’s personal goals and health status. (istock)
This study primarily examined the effects of drugs, but experts agreed that there are other factors that play a role in success. Weight control.
“Weight loss is biological, but it’s emotional, and support for all can make a difference between short-term outcomes and sustainable health,” Dr. Rekha Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of the Chief Medical Program for the Weight Care Program in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
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Kumar emphasized the importance of working with physicians to select weight loss medications that fit the patient’s personal goals. Health status.
“Both Wegovy and Zepbound demonstrate clinically significant weight loss.”
“For example, if a patient has fatty liver, choose GLP-1, which has proven to be the best for liver disease,” she said.
Researchers will now look into new versions of weight loss drugs containing letturtide, which mimics the hormones GLP-1, GIP and glucagon.
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“Drugs like tilzepatide and semaglutide work really well, but are better than what we’ve seen so far, but some people still don’t respond,” Aronne said.
“So we want to move forward and continue to try and improve.”
“In each of the entire clinical trial programs and Surmount-5, both Wegovy and Zepbound demonstrate a clinically significant reduction,” Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk said in a statement. (istock)
A spokesman for Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Wegovy (Semaglutide), sent the following statement to Fox News Digital:
“In each of the clinical trial programs as well as Surmount-5, both Wegovy and Zepbound demonstrate clinically significant reductions. It is important to recognize that comprehensive management of obesity exceeds only weight loss.”
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The spokesman also said: Previous examObese or overweight adults who took Wegovi along with diet and exercise lost an average of 15.2% (approximately 35 pounds) of their body weight in the 2-year mark, compared to 2.6% (~6 pounds) of patients taking placebo.
