Mounjaro and Zepboud, drugs with the active ingredient tirzepatide, appear to cause greater weight loss in women than in men.
Mounjaro is used for the management of type 2 diabetes, while Zepbound, the newer formulation of tirzepatide, is FDA-approved for the treatment of obesity.
Previous studies demonstrated that tirzepatide leads to significant weight reductions in both women and men, regardless of whether they have type 2 diabetes.
However, there may be potential sex differences in the response to the drug, according to a post hoc analysis, which included the four SURMOUNT trials, and was presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).
The trials compared the effect of tirzepatide with placebo in 4,677 adults with a body mass index of 30 kg/m² and above, or 27 kg/m² with at least one weight-related comorbidity and with or without type 2 diabetes. The interventions lasted for up to 72 to 88 weeks.
Tirzepatide treatment was associated with significant weight reduction compared to placebo, regardless of sex: women lost 11.5% to 27.6% of their body weight, while decreases in men ranged from 8.8% to 18.9%.
Both male and female participants on tirzepatide had higher odds of achieving their weight loss targets than those receiving a placebo. However, in the trial involving adults without type 2 diabetes, women were significantly more likely to lose at least 5% and 10%of their body weight than tirzepatide-treated males.
The safety profile was broadly similar by sex, although more cases of nausea and vomiting were observed among women.
Common side effects and severe adverse reactions are a source of concern regarding the use of tirzepatide and other medications that belong to a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists (GLP-1s).
Eli Lilly and Co., the manufacturer of Mounjaro, is facing a lawsuit alleging that it failed to warn users about the risk of stomach paralysis. Several other pharmaceutical companies making GLP-1s are at the center of similar allegations.
A 2023 study associated semaglutide or liraglutide, types of GLP-1s, with an increased risk of stomach paralysis, pancreatitis, and bowel obstruction.
The analysis authors say more research is needed to understand the mechanism by which women may experience more weight reduction in tirzepatide trials.
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