FDA Approves Zepbound, the Most Potent Weight Loss Drug Yet

Weight loss drugs have dominated the headlines over the past year, and now there’s a new medication that may be the most effective one yet. On Nov. 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved tirzepatide (which will be sold under the brand name Zepbound), to treat overweight and obesity. Made by Eli Lilly and Co., the drug is already approved, in different doses, for type 2 diabetes, as Mounjaro, and its effectiveness in those patients is due in part to its weight loss effects. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] About 70% of Americans are overweight, with a body mass index (BMI) between 27 and 30, or obese, with a BMI over 30—which increase the risk of a host of other health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and more. Yet there really haven’t been effective medications to treat obesity. Since its approval in 2021, semaglutide, made by Novo Nordisk and sold as Wegovy, has helped enough people lose a significant amount of weight to prompt more doctors to see overweight and obesity as chronic conditions, similar to high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, all of which are treated with medications. More From TIME [video id=tQEq3EOC autostart="viewable"] Read more: Should We End Obesity? Lilly submitted studies to the FDA showing that tirzepatide helped people who were overweight or obese and did not have diabetes to lose about 18% of their body weight compared to people receiving a p...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news