The sale of weight-reducing drugs has taken off in Norway. In the last six months, sales of Wegovy have increased by 33 per cent, figures from the Pharmacy Association show. Wegovy has the same active ingredient as the diabetes medicine Ozempic, semaglutide. Recently, a new product has appeared which may prove to be more effective against obesity, according to a new study. But so far there has been no signal about a Norwegian launch. The manufacturer tells news that they are looking at the market. Lose more weight Last week there was a study showing that the active substance in the “slimming medicine” Mounjaro, Tirzepatid, has proven more effective than semaglutide for those who want to lose weight. The study has been peer-reviewed and was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on 8 July. The publisher of the journal is the recognized American Medical Association (AMA). The researchers examined the health records of over 18,000 patients who have been injected with the two drugs. Most of the patients who received Ozempic and Mounjaro lost weight. But those who received the latter medicine lost weight both more often and more, the study shows. This is what the study found Nearly 82 percent of the patients who received Mounjaro experienced a weight loss of at least 5 percent, while the proportion was 67 percent among those who received Ozempic. 62 percent of those who received Mounjaro reduced their weight by at least 10 percent, compared to 37 percent who received Ozempic. 42 percent of those who received Mounjaro reduced their weight by at least 15 percent, compared to 18 percent who received Ozempic, the study shows. The average age among the patients was 52 years, more than seven out of ten were women and their average weight was 110 kilos. 52 per cent had type 2 diabetes. Source: NTB. Clinical tests have previously shown the same tendency, but the new study, which supports these tests, is the first of its kind. Mounjaro is already available in Germany, Switzerland, Poland. And it will probably be in the UK soon. WATCHING THE MARKET: The American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company says they consider several factors before launching Mounjaro in Norway. Here is their head office in Indianapolis, USA. Photo: SCOTT OLSON / AFP news has contacted the company behind and asked when the medicine will arrive in Norway. Eli Lilly and Company replies that there is a significant unmet need for this type of medication and that “as with any possible treatment” they aim to make Mounjaro available to everyone who needs it. – The timing of the launch will vary from country to country. We consider many factors. Including our ability to supply the market, demand and competition, says press officer at the company, Claudia Birney to news. Approved in Norway Mounjaro is approved in the EU and Norway, says senior physician Sigurd Hortemo in the Directorate for Medical Products (DMP) to news. He believes the study provides an important insight into the use of these drugs in the US in the previous two years. At the same time, DMP emphasizes that the new study is not placebo-controlled. And that the results must therefore be interpreted with caution. – This is not a randomized and blind study. Although the researchers have tried to match the groups, it is not known for sure whether those who received semaglutide still differed from those who received tirzepatid, says Hortemo. Senior physician at the Directorate for Medical Products, Sigurd Hortemo. Photo: Hanna Johre / Hanna Johre He calls it a strength that the study has followed a large number of patients via data from the record system. It can pick up patterns that are not seen in rigid clinical studies. Hortemo also highlights the fact that more than half of the participants stopped taking the medication before the observation period (of a maximum of 1.5 years) was over, as a key point. – The researchers have not gone into the reasons for this in particular. It could be due to both side effects, lack of effect and could have something to do with the patients’ finances, but we don’t know that, he says. Several of the patients in the study used the “diet drugs” in lower doses than what is now often used for weight control. – This perhaps particularly applies to semaglutide. It looks like the dosage for many was 0.5 milligrams. It is much lower than what is currently recommended for weight reduction with Wegovy. – It will be a somewhat unfair comparison, he says. Chief physician at the Directorate for Medical Products, Sigurd Hortemo. Photo: Hanna Johre / Hanna Johre – Not suitable for everyone Head of the Norwegian Association for General Medicine, Marte Kvittum Tangen, is not surprised that yet another obesity medication has come on the market. She emphasizes that neither Ozempic and its sister drugs nor Mounjaro are miracle cures for overweight people. – There is also no medicine that suits everyone. Doctors must make assessments of whether the benefit is greater than the risk, before they prescribe the medication, she says. Marte Kvittum Tangen is a specialist in general medicine and head of the Norwegian Association for General Medicine. Photo: Anders Fehn / news She emphasizes that not all excess weight is harmful to health. And recommends lifestyle changes for those who wish to lose weight and keep it off. – Reduced calorie intake and increased physical activity is still the best measure to reduce weight and make lasting changes, says Tangen. Tangen reminds us that many of those who have used these appetite-suppressing drugs have gained weight again after stopping. A so-called “Ozempic rebound” or “Mounjaro plateau”. – If the treatment is to have an effect, we are talking about lifelong treatment, says Kvittum. You also don’t know what happens to those who take the medication for a long time, she says. – I always become skeptical when completely new drugs suddenly have the potential to be used by many people, before we actually know enough about the long-term effects, she says. Don’t think the competition will make the medicines cheaper. Last autumn, Ozempic producer Novo Nordisk’s value was greater than Denmark’s GDP. Now they are Europe’s most valuable company. Despite the fact that the new study which compares the drugs has received wide coverage in international media, the shares of both Eli Lilly and Company and Novo Nordisk were almost unchanged on the stock exchanges (up just under one percent) between 7 and 11 July. This is according to investment director at Nordea, Robert Næss. – It initially seems strange. It may be because the stock market has picked up the news earlier, says Næss. According to Næss, it is expected that Mounjaro will become the leader in the USA. Investment director Robert Næss at Nordea. Photo: Nordea Næss does not believe that increased competition, as a result of the new study, will contribute to “diet drugs” becoming cheaper in the first place. – This research probably does not mean lower prices. As long as there is good demand for the product, both companies will stick to their pricing strategy, says Næss. Published 16.07.2024, at 12.02 Updated 16.07.2024, at 12.22
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Study: New “slimming medicine” far more effective than Ozempic
