Table of Contents
Top Line
New research has found that the weight loss and diabetes drugs Zepbound and Maunjaro may significantly reduce the risk of diabetes in people with prediabetes or obesity, adding a new condition to the list of illnesses that researchers have found can be prevented with drugs.
A sign for Eli Lilly and Company hangs outside its headquarters.
Key Facts
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly Announced Results of a three-year study showed that the company's drug, tirzepatide, reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94% in obese or overweight adults with prediabetes.
Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in the company's approved diabetes drug Munjaro and its approved weight loss drug Zepbound.
The drug also caused participants to lose weight: those taking the highest dose of 15 mg lost an average of 23% of their weight, compared with just 2.1% in the placebo group.
But while participants regained weight during a 17-week follow-up period after they stopped treatment and there was “some increased risk of progression to type 2 diabetes,” Lilly said the risk still reduced by 88 percent.
The most commonly reported adverse events in the study group were mild to moderate gastrointestinal disorders, including diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
Big numbers
98 million. That means roughly one in three Americans has prediabetes. data From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What is prediabetes?
People with prediabetes have blood sugar levels that are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes. Caused It is caused by insulin resistance (the same thing that causes type 2 diabetes). It is caused by genetics, excess body fat, a diet high in processed foods, lack of exercise, chronic stress, lack of sleep, long-term steroid use, and hormonal disorders such as Cushing's disease. Although prediabetes is fairly common, most Americans (80%) do not know they have diabetes. According to Consult the Cleveland Clinic. Prediabetes often has no symptoms, but some people experience symptoms such as loose skin, changes in the eyes, and darkening of the skin around the armpits, back, and neck. However, prediabetes can also lead to weight loss, According to to Yale University School of Medicine.
Main Background
Munjaro was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2022, and Zepbound in 2023. Prediabetes isn't the only condition that Tirzepatide can prevent. A February study showed that patients with high blood pressure who took Tirzepatide had a 10.6-point reduction in blood pressure. Earlier this month, Lilly announced the results of a trial showing that patients who took Tirzepatide had a 38% lower risk of death or hospitalization due to cardiac complications. The drug significantly slowed the progression of kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes and increased cardiovascular risk. According to According to the American Diabetes Association, tirzepatide also significantly reduces the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Show more
Diabetes Drug Munjaro May Soon Be Approved as Weight Loss Drug: What You Need to Know and How It Compares to Similar Drugs (Forbes)
Weight loss drug Zepbound may lower risk of heart failure, Eli Lilly says (Forbes)
Studies show that maunjaro and zepbound can significantly lower blood pressure (Forbes)
Munjaro's drug tirzepatide could treat sleep apnea, study finds (Forbes)
