Can the pill cure obesity? A new drug developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly appears to be doing just that. A once-a-week drug called Tirzepatide reduces food intake and increases energy expenditure, leading to weight loss of up to 24 kg after one year.
Experts say the findings are surprising and could lead to a decline in rates of bariatric surgery (weight-loss surgery that alters the digestive tract to reduce caloric intake), but it’s not the magic. It’s not a drug. It’s not meant to help you shed those extra pounds you’ve been working on for years.
Not an OTC pill
“It’s not an over-the-counter drug that you can pop in. It’s not for the general public. It’s only intended for people with conditions like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and dyslipidemia,” says Sir Ganga. Dr. Surendra Kumar, Advisor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Ram Hospital, said.
Study period and results
The study, conducted by the company and not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, involved 2,539 people in nine countries. A quarter of his trial participants received a placebo (compound without therapeutic agent), and in the other three groups he received 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg of the drug. After 72 weeks of treatment, the participant lost 16% or an average of 16 kg at 5 mg, 21.4% or 22 kg at 10 mg and 22.5% or 24 kg at 15 mg. medicine.
Nearly 96% of people who took the two higher doses of the drug experienced at least a 5% reduction in body weight, compared to just 28% of people in the group who received a placebo, according to the results of a study published by Achieved. Eli Lilly. Looking at the 20% weight loss mark, 55% of those taking the 10 mg drug and 63% of those taking the 15 mg drug achieved it, compared to 1.3%. was able to achieve it. in the placebo group. At baseline, people enrolled in the study weighed 105 kg and were not diabetic.
Who qualifies?
A person is considered obese if their body mass index (ratio of weight to height) is 30 or higher. A person with a BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight, with 18.5 to 25 being the normal range.
Patients who were prediabetic at the start of the study will be followed for an additional 2 years of treatment to see if weight loss affected the progression of type 2 diabetes after 3 years of treatment. is a condition in which the production of insulin, which is needed to control blood sugar levels, is reduced or resisted. Obesity is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
“It’s essentially a diabetes drug, and there are a number of similar classes of drugs available over the past decade. Some of these drugs were also used in Western countries for weight loss. led to a loss of about 15% of body weight, which is very, very high. This level has not been seen with any other drug,” said executive chairman of the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Fortis C-DOC Hospital. Dr. Anoop Misra, Director and Director, said.
“This drug works by reducing appetite, altering several hormones and slowing bowel movements. “Some say the rate of bariatric surgery will drop if this drug becomes available,” he added.
Be careful with checks in India.
However, he added some caveats.
“This drug is currently not available in India. When it becomes available, it can be very expensive. It also does not eliminate side effects completely. It’s something we’ll have to wait to see if it gets approved for diabetes first. India is known as the diabetes capital with an estimated 77 million people living with diabetes.
