Despite health risks, fakes, and shortages, weight loss drugs like Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) continue to be top of mind for consumers’ looking to shed pounds.
Now, a new study is looking at data from real people taking both drugs to determine if one is better than the other at helping consumers lose weight. Truveta, a medical research company, conducted the study and the results are yet to be peer-reviewed.
However, based on the findings, Mounjaro has won out over Ozempic in terms of total weight loss.
“While existing trials suggest higher effectiveness of tirzepatide compared to semaglutide for inducing weight loss, head-to-head trials for patients with overweight or obesity are not yet available,” said researcher Dr. Nick Stucky. “It also remains unclear how weight loss observed in these randomized controlled trials will generalize to real-world populations.
“That’s what makes today’s study findings so exciting and important. Because Truveta Data provides timely, complete electronic health record data – including prescriptions and medication dispense data – that captures all patients, not just the insured, we’ve been able to compare the head-to-head efficacy of these two important medications for weight loss ahead of randomized clinical trials.”
A look into the data
To compare Ozempic and Mounjaro, Truveta analyzed medical data from over 18,000 patients who were either overweight or obese and had been prescribed semaglutide or tirzepatide for the first time between May 2022 and September 2023.
The researchers were interested in measuring the percentage of weight change in the participants at three, six, and 12 months into taking the drugs.
While both drugs were more effective for weight loss in those without type 2 diabetes, ultimately, Mounjaro proved to have better weight loss outcomes than Ozempic.
Those taking Mounjaro were nearly twice as likely to reach 5% weight loss, six times more likely to achieve 10% weight loss, and three times more likely to achieve 15% weight loss, compared to those taking Ozempic.
The difference in weight loss between the two drugs was also apparent at each of the check-ins throughout the study. Three months into taking the weight loss drugs, those taking Mounjaro had experienced a nearly 6% change in body weight, compared to a 3.6% change for those taking Ozempic.
This trend continued at six months – Ozempic-takers had a 5.9% weight change, while Mounjaro-takers had a 10.1% weight change – and again at the one-year mark – those taking Mounjaro had a 15.2% weight change, and those taking Ozempic had a 7.9% change in weight.
“As a practicing cardiologist and researcher, having the most timely data to inform patient care is paramount,” said researcher Dr. Tyler Gluckman.
“Because tirzepatide was only approved by the FDA in mid-2022 for type 2 diabetes, the ability to rigorously analyze its use (on- and off-label) for a broad population of patients with overweight or obesity, not just a subset captured in insurance databases, has the power to greatly improve our understanding of how these agents are being used in every day practice and the effect that they’re having.”
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2023-11-30 12:02:58