LONDON – Daily Mail: Researchers have speculated that millions of diabetics could see the life-changing results of an “amazing” new drug.
Tirzepatide works by mimicking hormones that help control blood sugar and curb appetite for weight loss.
It has already been shown to be more effective than other similar drugs, including those on the NHS.
But the new data, which is expected to be presented at a medical conference, will reveal that it works even faster for up to 12 weeks.
The scientists involved in the analysis said that injecting it into the patient once a week would produce an effect “that surpasses anything else we have now”.
As long as tirzepatide mimics the body’s hormones, it helps people feel full and satisfied after a meal.
The level of these hormones is often low in obese patients and they tend to make up the majority of type 2 diabetics.
In addition to helping people feel full, the drug controls diabetes by removing excess sugar from the body and preventing the liver from producing and excreting too much.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to blindness, amputation, or even coma.
The new analysis shows that tirzepatide, sold under the Mounjaro brand and manufactured by US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, could provide better and faster improvements in patients with the disease.
The new data came from two studies that compared a 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg dose with two different existing drugs.
Doses of tirzepatide were increased by 2.5 mg every four weeks until the desired dose was reached and then maintained throughout the trial period, which lasted approximately one year.
One study involved nearly 1,500 people with type 2 diabetes.
Participants in this study were randomly assigned to receive one of three different doses of tirzepatide once a week or to receive a daily insulin injection.
The other study compared the three doses of tirzepatide with another weekly dose of a drug called semaglutide to ensure weight loss and treat diabetes.
Tirzepatide recipients have reached a milestone in blood sugar control, which is that their hemoglobin A1c level is less than 7%, on average four weeks faster than those taking semaglutide.
It also exceeded daily insulin doses, as participants on tirzepatide therapy had a hemoglobin A1c level of less than 6.5% before 12 weeks of treatment.
Similar results in weight loss were also reported with the semaglutide study.
Lead author of the analysis, Dr Adi Filjohn, a metabolic pathologist and consultant chemist with the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, said tirzepatide provided “incredible” results.
“The speed we’re seeing in terms of glucose reduction and weight loss is faster than anything else we have right now,” he said.
This drug can put adults with type 2 diabetes in a better position to prevent long-term complications. Even a small weight loss of 5% of initial body weight is associated with clinically significant improvements in solving weight-related health problems for many individuals.
And for people with type 2 diabetes, being able to achieve these health improvements in about half the time is unbelievable.
However, he added, it is important to remember that the injection is not the silver bullet, it should be used in conjunction with a favorable diet and exercise.
It is worth noting that type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or when the insulin produced by the body does not function properly, resulting in an increase in blood sugar levels.
This can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, increased risk of stroke, kidney problems, eye disease, and nerve damage.
Unlike type 1 diabetes, which is a genetic disease, type 2 diabetes is mainly caused by obesity. It can be reversed by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
tirzepatide mimics two types of hormones in the body, one called glucagon-like glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and one called glucose-dependent insulinotropic steering peptide, or GIP.
The use of GLP-1 receptor agonists began about a decade ago, transforming the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Clinical trial participants reported experiencing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as side effects of tirzepatide and these symptoms were reported more frequently with increased doses.
The drug is currently approved as a diabetes drug in the United States despite speculation that Eli Lilly will seek approval for use as a weight loss drug.
It is said to cost around £ 843 ($ 975) for a four-week course, but is currently not approved for use in the UK.
The authors of the latest analysis note several limitations of their study, such as clinical trials that were not specifically designed to compare the rate of glycemic control and weight loss between different drugs, and therefore the results should be interpreted with caution.
The analysis, funded by Eli Lilly, will be presented at the conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Sweden from 19-23 September, Russia Today reported.
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