8 October 2022
By Lizzie Roberts
Quote
A diabetes drug which has been proven to help obese people lose weight has been approved by the medicines watchdog.
Tirzepatide, manufactured by Eli Lilly, mimics hormones that help people feel fuller after eating, helping them lose weight.
A study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year, reported the patients on the highest dose of the drug lost on average a fifth of their body weight.
Those given a placebo in the trial lost just three per cent.
Researchers at the time called the drugs “game-changing” for the obesity field.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the drug for adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, as an addition to diet and exercise.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently assessing the clinical and cost effectiveness of tirzepatide, with the results expected in April.
Delivered as a weekly jab
More than 4.9 million people are living with diabetes in the UK, 90 per cent of those with type 2, according to Diabetes UK.
Estimates suggest around 85 per cent of people with type 2 are overweight or obese, however losing weight can help control diabetes.
Dr Matthew Capehorn, a clinical manager at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Living with type 2 diabetes is not easy and in practice we know that many people are not reaching their target blood glucose levels.
“I’m delighted that tirzepatide has been authorised in Great Britain, representing a new class of type 2 diabetes medication that can provide another treatment option for eligible patients.”
Delivered as a once-a-week jab, tirzepatide has also been found to help patients reach their weight-loss goals “significantly” faster than other semaglutide - a similar drug which was approved for use on the NHS in February.
Maintaining weight 'often a major challenge'
Douglas Twenefour, the head of care at Diabetes UK, said: “Supporting people to manage their weight and blood sugar levels is key to preventing devastating complications of type 2 diabetes. But we know this can often be a major challenge, so we welcome this latest treatment option.
“It is important that people with type 2 diabetes have access to a wide range of effective treatments and support, and there should not be any barriers to newer medications that help manage this serious condition and prevent complications.”
An MHRA spokesperson said: “We are pleased to confirm that we have authorised Mounjaro (tirzepatide) – a new class of treatment for adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes.
“No medicine would be approved unless it meets our expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.”
End of quote.
Sources UK Daily Telegraph and Yahoo News.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
Comment
This article gives new hope for people with Type 2 diabetes and I very much hope the MHMS will be able to keep track of the clinical trials of he new drug and, possibly, if found effective for diabetic patients with help from the British High Commission in Honiara and the UK Government, see it become available to the MHMS and diabetic sufferers who are patients of the National Referral Hospital.
The UK is at the forefront of new breakthroughs in diabetes control and the UK High Commission could, in my view, play an important role in conjunction with the SIG and the MHMS in helping to bring down the level of NCDs and diabetes in particular.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
