When will Zepbound be available in the US? How much will Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug cost?
Anti-obesity drugs are gaining popularity in the US, and Zepbound is the latest one to be approved by the FDA. When will it be available in the country?
Weight loss drugs have exploded in popularity over the past year, so much so that investors have become worried about the effects it could have on the fast food industry.
The latest drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration is tirzepatide, to be sold under the brand name Zepbound. It’s an injection for chronic weight management in adults with obesity made by Eli Lilly, and will be available by the end of the year. Another version of the shot is already being sold under the brand name Mounjaro to treat Type 2 diabetes.
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Zepbound poses competition to Wegovy
Lilly says that their drug results in greater weight loss at a lower price than Wegovy (semaglutide), which is manufactured by Novo Nordisk. Wegovy is highly popular, and has a list price of $1,350.
Zepbound’s list price at $1,060, which is approximately 20% less than that of Wegovy.
According to studies submitted by Lilly to the FDA, overweight or obese people without diabetes lost 18% of their body weight with the help of tirzepatide compared to people receiving a placebo. Previous studies of tirzepatide involving people with diabetes showed that they lost 12% of their body weight.
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Zepbound ‘addressess unmet medical need’
According to the FDA, the drug was approved in view of the problem of obesity in the country.
“Obesity and overweight are serious conditions that can be associated with some of the leading causes of death such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes,” said John Sharretts, director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
“In light of increasing rates of both obesity and overweight in the United States, today’s approval addresses an unmet medical need.”
Obesity experts believe that the new drug has the potential to make great strides in weight management in the US.