Mounjaro ‘Superior’ To Other Weight Loss Drugs, Study Finds

People taking tirzepatide, like Mounjaro, lost 12.5 pounds more than those who took a semaglutide, like Wegovy, according to new research.

In the study, which will be presented next month during the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Hamburg, Germany, the researchers examined three separate doses — low, medium, and maintenance doses from each drug — then reviewed data from studies that examined people who took the drugs once-weekly for 12 weeks. 

The study only looked at the individual drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved semaglutides previously, which are sold under name brands like Wegovy and Ozempic. The agency approved tirzepatide in the form of Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro in 2022. 

A medium dose of tirzepatide (considered to be 10mg) was more effective at producing weight loss than those who took 2mg of a semaglutide — people, on average, lost nearly eight more pounds within the same time. As for the lower doses, experts compared 5mg of tirzepatide with 1mg of semaglutide. Patients lost close to four pounds more on Mounjaro. 

Researchers from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece also combined and reviewed data from more than 18,000 patients with type-2 diabetes across 22 studies and found tirzepatide, or Mounjaro, to be the “superior” drug in producing more effective weight loss results. The drug was also observed to be better at controlling blood sugar levels compared to semaglutides.

Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are available in varying doses, and typically, doctors slowly up the dose for patients month over month, depending on tolerance level and need. Researchers observed significant differences in effectiveness when they compared higher doses of each drug.

Lead author Thomas Karagiannis, M.D., an internal medicine physician from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, also noted that a higher dose of tirzepatide was more effective at lowering hemoglobin A1C levels — the number that indicates blood sugar levels — than its competitor. 

While tirzepatide is more effective in higher doses, it’s not without side effects, Dr. Karagiannis pointed out. 

“High-dose tirzepatide (15 mg) was associated with increased risk for vomiting versus low- and medium-dose semaglutide,” he said in a statement. 

In fact, people who took 15mg of Mounjaro were up to 85% more likely to experience vomiting and nearly 50% more likely to have nausea compared to people on lower doses of semaglutide. 

However, neither drug increased the risk of serious complications, Dr. Karagiannis noted. 

Over the past few years, several blockbuster weight loss drugs have helped countless people shed tens or, in some cases, hundreds of pounds. 

Like the semaglutide, Wegovy, the tirzepatide Mounjaro is a once-weekly injection designed to improve glucose levels in people with type-2 diabetes, but can also help people lose weight. 

Previously, other studies have also highlighted similar results. People who took tirzepatide in the drug’s phase three clinical trial lost 26% of their total weight over 84 weeks. People who took semaglutide over 68 weeks lost close to 13% of their body weight, according to the FDA. 

Soon enough, injectables may not be the only weight loss medications on the market. Mounjaro’s drugmaker, Eli Lilly, is expected to soon release a once-daily pill, called orforglipron, which has helped users lose up to 15% of their body weight after eight months during a phase two clinical trial.