The cat’s out the bag. Weight loss drugs are incredibly effective. Losing weight has never been easier.

A balanced diet and structured exercise regime? Far too stressful.
Bariatric Surgery? I like my stomach intact, thank you very much.

With a quick telephone appointment, and a couple fibs to the telehealth doc, you too can have access to the diabetes-turned-weightloss drugs. But you have some options…

Semaglutide is the poster child. The Ozempic, The Wegovy. The one that has Katy Perry looking suspiciously hollow around the buccals 🤔

The dark horse Tirzeptide aka Zepbound or Mourjaro has a dualistic action. It’s both a GLP1 + GIP agonist.

So…which is more effective? A phase 3 multicentre RCT conducted across the States and Puerto Rico, published in NEJM, set out for the answer.

The aim was to compare the efficacy and safety of Tirzepatide vs Semagluide in obese adults(BMI >=30) without T2DM. More specifically, they wanted to investigate if Tirzepatide was actually superior to Semaglutide in reducing weight and waist circumference over 72 weeks.

750 Participants were randomised 1:1 to take one of the two drugs. Both groups were administered the maximum tolerated dose(Tirzepatide 10/15mg or Semaglutide 1.7/2.4mg) and were given it subcutaneously for the 18 month period. 80% of participants completed the trial.

Who was the biggest loser?

  1. Weight loss: Tirzepatide came out on top with a mean weight change of -20.2%. Semaglutide was -13.75%.
  2. Waist Circumference: Again Tirzepatide won with a mean reduction of -18.4cm to Semaglutide -13.0cm

The adverse effects, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea were mild in both groups. But even then, Zepbound has Ozempic beat. The discontinuation due to side effects was 6.1% to 8.0% respectively.

So it seems like Tirzepatide is the weight loss drug to rule the land of Big Pharma. Glad we cleared that up.

But…hold on.

Wait a damn minute.

Funded by Eli Lilly?!? The owners of Tirzepatide. Sworn enemy of Novo Nordisk–Ozempics daddy?

I feel I've been swindled.

Whilst the study is academically sound, peer reviewed. High quality. I'm sure by next week we’ll have an RCT from Novo Nordisk that begs to differ.

Well, I guess all’s fair in love, war and Big Pharma.

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