The variety of new sufferers newly prescribed Eli Lilly’s weight problems remedy drug Mounjaro (generic title: tirzepatide) was discovered to be roughly thrice greater than that of competing product Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (generic title: semaglutide). With Mounjaro’s whole prescription quantity rising to just about the identical stage as Wegovy, analysts recommend {that a} generational change within the weight problems remedy market is quickly underway.
Based on an weight problems drug prescription information as of October submitted by the Well being Insurance coverage Evaluation and Evaluation Service to Rep. Kim Yoon of the Democratic Celebration of Korea, who serves on the Nationwide Meeting Well being and Welfare Committee, prescriptions for Mounjaro’s lowest dose of two.5mg reached 32,050 instances, roughly 2.7 occasions greater than Wegovy’s lowest dose prescriptions of 0.25mg (11,843 instances). The bottom dose prescription quantity serves as essentially the most direct indicator of recent affected person inflow traits, as most preliminary weight problems drug prescriptions start with the bottom dose.
Modifications in prescription preferences are additionally being detected within the prescription numbers by dosage for each merchandise. Even when combining Wegovy’s low-dose merchandise of 0.25mg (11,843 instances) and 0.5mg (14,372 instances), the full remained within the 26,000-case vary. This falls considerably in need of Mounjaro’s single lowest dose prescription quantity of 32,050 instances for two.5mg. The October whole prescription volumes confirmed little distinction between the 2 medication. Based mostly on DUR requirements, whole Wegovy prescriptions reached 79,823 instances, whereas Mounjaro recorded 79,024 instances, primarily reaching parity. Excessive-dose Mounjaro merchandise akin to 12.5mg and 15mg haven’t but been formally launched within the home market. Trade observers mission that “as soon as high-dose introductions acquire momentum, the steadiness will shift towards Mounjaro extra quickly.”
Current analysis outcomes have additionally been revealed displaying that sufferers who skilled weight reduction plateaus or restricted results throughout Wegovy remedy achieved extra weight discount results when switching to Mounjaro. Dr. Ariel Gonzalez’s analysis workforce from Weill Cornell Medication offered findings on the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgical procedure 2025 held in Atlanta, Georgia, this month, monitoring 157 sufferers who switched to Mounjaro after experiencing weight reduction plateaus or restricted weight problems enchancment results throughout Wegovy remedy over a six-month interval. Based on the analysis, sufferers who skilled weight reduction plateaus throughout Wegovy use achieved a mean extra 8.1% weight discount over six months after switching, whereas sufferers who reached plateau phases after enough use of Wegovy at most efficient doses (1.7-2.4mg) additionally succeeded in reaching a mean 5.3% weight discount.
Consequently, observations recommend that the shift towards Mounjaro will strengthen additional. This interpretation signifies that sufferers who don’t shed weight as anticipated with Wegovy are more and more seemingly to decide on Mounjaro in its place. Dr. Gonzalez evaluated that “sufferers who skilled weight reduction plateaus with Wegovy have been confirmed to attain extra weight discount when switching to Mounjaro.”
