Know about weight-loss drug Mounjaro, released by Eli Lilly in India

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a weekly-administered injection for obesity and Type-2 diabetes. It received approval from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), and was released on Thursday (March 20).

A 2.5 mg vial of Mounjaro is priced at Rs 3,500 and the 5 mg vial costs Rs 4,375.

The drug is currently sold in the UK and Europe under the same name for both weight loss and diabetes, and is sold as ‘Zepbound’ for obesity in the US.

Also read: One out of every 4 diabetes patients in the world lived in India in 2022: Lancet study

Claimed benefits

The company said that this drug can be obtained from pharmacies with a doctor’s prescription. A month’s therapy with this drug would cost between Rs 14,000 to Rs 17,500, according to reports.

The company said it is a ‘first-of-its-kind treatment’ for obesity and Type-2 diabetes which activates both the GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) hormone receptors that are essential to regulate blood sugar levels and appetite of an individual.

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Mounjaro is said to improve first and second phase insulin secretion and reduces glucagon levels. It also improves insulin sensitivity and delays gastric emptying. By doing so, it reduces food intake, body weight and decreases fat mass by regulating appetite and making people feel more full. It is also shown to have regulated lipid utilisation, according to reports.

'Improves diabetes'

Consultant Diabetologist at Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, Dr V Vinod Babu V, spoke to The Federal on this. “With the launch of this new drug, Mounjaro, known as tirzepatide, there is a big change in the landscape of [the] management of diabetes and obesity as we know it, because, this is a drug which helps in losing weight very easily. Many people who are trying to lose weight and are unable to do so because of restrictive diets [or] are unable to focus on their lifestyles… can easily lose weight, and rapidly as well,” he said.

“On an average, half of the participants in this trial have lost 20 per cent of their current body weight, and naturally since diabetes is an obesity-dependent condition — the diabetes also improves much earlier than before the people even lose [their] weight.”

Dr Vinod added that common side effects include gastrointestinal issue, which is something the majority of people who took the drug have tolerated.

Also read: This rice variety could tackle diabetes epidemic in South India

Revolutionary drug

According to Dr Vinod, this drug “...is going to revolutionise the way we look at diabetes and obesity management,” he mentioned that patients can get off their current existing medications or insulin and maintain themselves with a weekly injection of Mounjaro.

“The safety of this drug has been well-studied,” he added “This drug, if anything, has been proven to increase the lifespan of a human being in addition to reducing obesity and its associated complications.”

India, considered the 'diabetes capital of the world', has over 100 million people suffering the disease.