November 8, 2023
Today at
7:40 PM
The diabetes drug Zepbound, made by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, has been given the green light by the American medicines watchdog FDA to also be used as an obesity treatment.
The Danish Novo Nordisk has an important competitor. American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to also sell its diabetes drug Zepbound as a treatment for obesity.
Zepbound, also known as Mounjaro, was dubbed the ‘King Kong’ of obesity medication as studies showed weight loss of up to 22 percent. Wegovy from Novo Nordisk records a weight loss of up to ‘only’ 15 percent
‘Unmet medical need’
“Obesity and overweight are serious conditions linked to some of the leading causes of death, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes,” FDA CEO John Sharretts said in a statement. “Due to rising rates of obesity and overweight in the United States, the approval addresses an unmet medical need.”
The slimming drugs can become the best-selling drugs in the pharmaceutical sector. The new obesity medication is a boost in a field that, like Alzheimer’s medication, was riddled with failures and poorly functioning and even harmful treatments for decades. In 2008, the obesity drug rimonabant was withdrawn from the market in Europe due to the increased risk of psychiatric disorders.
