09/05/2024

A Weight Loss Drug that can Prevent Diabetes

Eli Lilly's tirzepatide appears to have wondrous capabilities

The weight-loss drugs that have become so popular in recent years actually began as diabetes medications, and a new study shows that they continue to provide strong protection against that chronic disease.

Eli Lilly, the makers of tirzepatide—which they sell as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss—announced recently that in its longest study yet on tirzepatide, the drug reduced the risk of people with pre-diabetes moving on to develop diabetes by 94 percent compared to those taking a placebo.

For nearly three years, the study followed more than 1,000 people who were overweight or obese and had prediabetes. By the end of the study, those on any of three doses of the drug lost up to nearly 20 percent of their body mass from the start of the study compared to those taking a placebo. The drug also contributed to a 94 percent lower chance of progressing from pre-diabetes to diabetes compared to placebo.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.