Efficacy was 47% higher in 751 obese adult patients without diabetes
Even during supply, dispensing may be difficult due to distribution network issues such as cold chain.
In a direct comparison study, ‘Maunjaro’ (ingredient name: terzepatide, overseas name: Zebbound), which was shown to have higher efficacy than the obesity new drug ‘Wegobi’ (ingredient name: semaglutide), is still experiencing a shortage.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the 17th, even though the Maunjaro drug is available in the U.S., there are often cases where patients are unable to immediately fill it at a specific pharmacy.
This may apply to drugs that require refrigeration or are provided in multiple doses. Even if there is no shortage of drugs supplied due to cold chain logistics and the pharmacy’s inventory capacity, purchasing may be difficult depending on the location of a specific pharmacy.
Wegobi is currently in short supply, but is available in the United States. Although there has been a shortage of supply ever since its launch, it is understood that partial supply has been completed since last August, and most pharmacies are now in stock.
Maunjaro has been released in the United States and Japan. The number of countries where it will be launched is expected to gradually increase. WeGoBe was launched in 9 countries including Korea, the United States, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. Marketing is being prepared in other countries.
Lilly has made investments such as large-scale expansion to supply Maunjaro. However, as more positive efficacy was shown in direct comparative clinical trials with WeGobee, the expectations of obese patients are raised, and supply shortages are expected to continue for some time.
Lilly announced plans to build additional production facilities in November last year to produce Maunjaro. About 3.3 trillion won will be used to build a large-scale production facility in Germany with the goal of operation in 2027. There will be six production facilities in Europe alone.
Previously, on the 4th of last month (local time), Lilly announced key topline data from a phase 3b clinical trial (clinical name: SURMOUNT-5) that directly compared Maunjaro with Wegobi.
The clinical trial directly compared Maunjaro and Wigobi in obese or overweight adult patients who do not have diabetes but have one or more weight-related comorbidities such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and cardiovascular disease. It’s research.
A total of 751 participants across the United States and Puerto Rico were administered the maximum tolerated dose of Maunjaro (10 mg or 15 mg) or Ugobi (1.7 mg or 2.4 mg) in a 1:1 ratio. The study aimed to demonstrate the superiority of Maunjaro in percentage change in basal body weight over 72 weeks.
As a result of the study, Maunjaro showed a 47% higher weight loss effect than Wigobi. Maunjaro induced an average weight loss of 20.2% (22.8 kg). During the same period, Wigobi lost 13.7% (15.0 kg) of weight. The weight loss rate of more than 25%, which is one of the secondary evaluation indicators, was 31.6% in the Maunjaro treatment group and 16.1% in the Wigobi treatment group.
The safety of Maunjaro in this study was similar to that reported in previous clinical trials. The most commonly reported side effects of both Maunjaro and Wigobi are gastrointestinal symptoms. In general, it was mild or moderate.
Maunjaro is a GIP·GLP1 receptor agonist drug administered subcutaneously once a week. GIP and GLP-1 are types of incretin hormones that promote insulin secretion and improve insulin sensitivity. It also affects the reduction of glucagon secretion, appetite control, and maintaining satiety.
By selectively binding to and activating both GIP receptors and GLP-1 receptors, which are targets of endogenous GIP and GLP-1, Maunjaro lowers blood sugar before and after meals and can help reduce body weight and body fat.
Lilly plans to further analyze the clinical results and present them at international academic journals and major academic conferences in 2025.
(Seoul = News 1)