The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorized the use of Mounjaro for weight management and weight loss. Patients, who take the medicine, are supposed to follow a reduced-calorie diet and exercise actively.
In diabetes patients, tirzepatide is also meant to be used in addition to exercise and diet, and when the main first line medicine for type 2 diabetes, metformin, cannot be tolerated.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) reported that clinical trials using tirzepatide showed reduced blood sugar levels and weigh loss in patients.
Among those using tirzepatide in the trial, 81-97 percent reached better glucose control and 54-88 percent reached 5 percent or greater weight loss.
Feel Full, Less Hungry, Fewer Food Cravings
Tirzepatide regulates a person’s appetite, so they feel full, less hungry and have fewer food cravings.
The MHRA drew on advice from the independent Commission on Human Medicines. The agency will closely review the safety of the drug, having prioritised its assessment due to health risks caused by obesity.
Now authorised for adult patients suffering from obesity, Mounjaro can also be used by overweigh patients who have health problems, such as prediabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
The medicine comes as a pre-filled injection pen filled with various doses, from 0.5 mg to 15mg. When used in weight management, tirzepatide is injected under the skin of a patient’s stomach area, thigh or upper arm.
“Although further approvals are needed to use this in the NHS, Mounjaro has the potential to help thousands of people living with obesity and support those suffering from weight-related illnesses – if used alongside diet and physical activity,” the health secretary said.
Side Effects and Risks
The MHRA warned that Mounjaro can affect how well a contraceptive pill works.For obese or overweight female patients, the advice is to use additional methods of contraception, such as condoms.
The patients are also advised to switch to a non-oral contraceptive method for four weeks after starting Mounjaro and for four weeks after each increase in dose.
Patients are cautioned of the common side effects of the medicine, which include nausea, diarrhoea, and vomiting. These usually go away with time, the experts advised. Other symptoms can include headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, feeling hungry, confusion, irritability, fast heartbeat and sweating.
FDA experts said that the approval of the drug addressed “an unmet medical need” in the light of increasing health risks associated with obesity. Approximately 70 percent of American adults have obesity or are overweight. Many of those overweight have a weight-related condition.
To help tackle obesity, the NHS launched a weight-loss jab Wegovy in September. Wegovy is the brand name for semaglutide. The clinical trials for the drug showed its effectiveness in weight reduction when used alongside diet and physical activity.
Another brand name for semaglutide, which can be used for treating type 2 diabetes, is Ozempic. The current guidance for Ozempic is that it should not be solely prescribed for weight loss, but to treat type 2 diabetes.
Scientists have also cautioned that the way these drugs change food cravings in patients can impact people’s relationship with food.
