While droves of patients experiencing obesity have turned to Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic for treatment, the drug Mounjaro from its competitor Eli Lilly is closely trailing its success, according to an April 3 report from The Wall Street Journal.
The two drugs were developed to treat Type 2 diabetes and share the same active ingredient, but several patients who also struggle with obesity have experienced the unexpected benefit of weight loss. Ozempic has been approved for weight loss treatment since 2021, but Mounjaro has not yet been approved for that purpose.
“In the coming months, it is widely expected to get the go-ahead from U.S. health regulators to be prescribed for losing weight and keeping it off,” according to the Journal.
Mounjaro is a drug that has created particular buzz in the pharmaceutical space for its edge over Ozempic.
Compared to its competitor, Mounjaro was found to aid in cutting weight in patients who have struggled with obesity by 22.7 percent. Meanwhile, Ozempic was found to cut body weight by just 17 percent.
“No anti-obesity drug has ever safely made such a difference,” according to the Journal. Mounjaro has also “excited doctors and patients who have been waiting decades for effective treatments, while helping turn its maker, Eli Lilly & Co., into the most valuable standalone pharmaceutical company in the U.S.”
Mounjaro’s effectiveness could catapult it to being one of the leading drugs sold of all time. Experts predict its annual sales could rocket above $25 billion, according to the Journal.
