May 23, 2023: According to a peer-looked study of phase two clinical completely results released, an oral drug made by Pfizer causes the same amount of weight loss as completely Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster injection Ozempic.
The results were stated at a medical conference in the previous year and did not compare Pfizer’s drug with Ozempic or other weight loss medications. JAMA Network only recently is releasing a peer-reviewed study.
Pfizer’s trial stated 411 adults with Type 2 diabetes took the company’s danuglipron pill twice daily or a placebo.
The study found that body weight was “statistically significantly reduced” after patients took either 120-milligram or 80-milligram versions of danuglipron for 16 weeks.
The study found that patients who took a 120-milligram version lost around 10 pounds on average over that period.
Pfizer’s drug could offer an advantage as an oral treatment rather than a frequent injection.
The study results suggest danuglipron may be as effective for weight loss as Ozempic, though there are stark differences in dosage levels.
A phase three clinical completed on Ozempic found that adults who took a 1-milligram injection version lost around 9.9 pounds over nearly 30 weeks. Patients take that shot once a week.
Ozempic was authorised in the U.S. to treat diabetes and is now used off-label for weight loss.
Novo Nordisk’s other drug Wegovy is the same medication but is approved for “chronic weight management.”
A phase three clinical trial on Wegovy is founding that adults who took a 2.4-milligram version of the injection each week yielded about 33 pounds on average over 68 weeks.
Danuglipron, Ozempic and Wegovy are part of a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists.
They mimic a hormone in the gut known as GLP-1, which signals to the brain when a person is complete.
The drugs can help people manage Type 2 diabetes by encouraging insulin release from the pancreas, lowering blood sugar levels.
New York-based Pfizer is the recent pharmaceutical company to dip into the blockbuster weight loss drug market.
Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy catapulted to the national spotlight recently for being weight loss “miracles.”
Hollywood celebrities, social media influencers, and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk have reportedly used the popular injections to eliminate unwanted weight.