New Diabetes Injection Offers Added Benefit of Weight Loss

The approval of a medication offers a new tool for more than 34 million Americans managing type 2 diabetes with the added benefit of weight loss.

Given as a weekly injection, tirzepatide (brand name Mounjaro™) is the first in a new class of diabetes medications that lowers the patient’s blood sugar level (A1C) using a hormone combination of a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). It also contains a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which supports weight loss by promoting a feeling of fullness and controlling appetite in the brain.

Research by the manufacturer of Mounjaro showed that participants taking the medication had slightly greater reductions in A1C – up to 2.07 percent lower – than those receiving the placebo. In addition, those taking the medication lost 15 to 20 pounds more than the placebo group.

“This medication should be slightly better for weight loss versus what is already available, and it will not cause hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, unless it is combined with another medication such as insulin or a sulfonylurea which cause low blood sugar,” said Michael LeMay, MD, an endocrinologist with the Hartford HealthCare Medical Group.

Read more about this new medication on the Hartford HealthCare News Hub.