A new diabetes drug leads to more weight loss and lower blood sugar than its blockbuster rival semaglutide, also known as Ozempic, a review of research said on Saturday.
Tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro by US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, is currently approved to treat type 2 diabetes in the United States, Europe and most recently the UK.
New research, which is being presented at a conference in Germany and has not been peer-reviewed, suggests that Eli Lilly's newer drug could be even more effective. Lead author Thomas Karagiannis of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki told AFP that for the highest doses, "tirzepatide resulted in an average weight loss that was 5.7 kilograms more than semaglutide".
Duane Mellor, an expert in evidence-based medicine at the UK's Aston University not involved in the research, cautioned that it was not a full peer-reviewed paper.