FDA Approves Lilly’s Mounjaro Injection For Type 2 Diabetes Treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly and Co.’s (LLY) Mounjaro or tirzepatide injection for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes. Mounjaro represents the first new class of diabetes medicines introduced in nearly a decade and is expected to be available in the U.S. in the coming weeks, the company said in a statement.

The approval was based on results from the phase 3 SURPASS program, which included active comparators of injectable semaglutide 1 mg, insulin glargine and insulin degludec. Efficacy was evaluated for Mounjaro 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg used alone or in combination with commonly prescribed diabetes medications, including metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas and insulin glargine.While not indicated for weight loss, Mounjaro led to significantly greater weight reductions versus comparators in a key secondary endpoint.

Mounjaro was effective at improving blood sugar and was more effective than the other diabetes therapies with which it was compared in clinical studies.

Mounjaro has not been studied in patients with a history of pancreatitis and is not indicated for use in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Side effects reported in at least 5% of patients treated with Mounjaro include nausea, diarrhea, decreased appetite, vomiting, constipation, indigestion, and stomach pain. The labeling for Mounjaro contains a Boxed Warning regarding thyroid C-cell tumors. Mounjaro is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2.

According to the company, Mounjaro will be available in six doses (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg) and will come in the company’s auto-injector pen with a pre-attached, hidden needle that patients do not need to handle or see.

Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes, is a chronic and progressive condition in which the body does not make or use insulin normally, leading to high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood.

Mounjaro injection is new once-weekly GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide are hormones involved in blood sugar control. Mounjaro is a first-in-class medicine that activates both the GLP-1 and GIP receptors, which leads to improved blood sugar control. Mounjaro is administered by injection under the skin once weekly, with the dose adjusted as tolerated to meet blood sugar goals.

Tirzepatide is also under regulatory review for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Europe, Japan and several additional.

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