Tirzepatide is a new medication that’s licensed in the US for type 2 diabetes.
If we look back at the history of type 2 diabetes medications and weight management treatments, certain medications followed a telltale pattern that Tirzepatide seems to be starting now.
This medication has sparked a lot of interest from patients with both diabetes and obesity, so what exactly can it be used for right now?
We’re here to answer that question and more, so let’s get started.
What type of drug is Tirzepatide?
Tirzepatide is a type of drug called a dual agonist — meaning that it works as both a GLP-1 receptor agonist and a GIP receptor agonist.
In working as both types of treatment, Tirzepatide is the first of its kind, as most similar treatments only work as GLP-1 agonists.
This could prove to give Tirzepatide an edge over other medications that work in similar ways, but we’ll have to hold our judgement on that until we have more facts about the results patients are seeing.
What is Tirzepatide approved for?
Tirzepatide is currently only approved to treat one condition and it’s only approved in the US.
It is the active ingredient in a medication called Mounjaro, a medication that has recently been licensed in the US to treat type 2 diabetes.
It’s designed to help diabetes patients bring down high blood sugar and control their blood sugar levels.
It can be used alongside other diabetes medications like insulin or on its own alongside a wider treatment plan that your healthcare provider will discuss with you.
Tirzepatide and Mounjaro aren’t licensed in the UK yet, but that isn’t unusual.
Similar medications like Liraglutide and Semaglutide were both licensed in the US before coming to the UK, so we might hear some information about licensing on this side of the pond before you know it.
Can Tirzepatide be used for weight loss?
At this point in time, Tirzepatide is not licensed for weight loss in the US or the UK and we’re not sure when, or even if, that will happen.
However, other GLP-1 receptor agonists have been licensed for weight loss and have been proven to be very effective treatments, so we don’t think licensing will be out of the question in the long run.
We should also note that medications like Wegovy and Saxenda were both licensed for type 2 diabetes for a while before they were licensed as weight loss treatments, so Tirzepatide is following a very familiar pattern.
As a part of the licensing process, we would find out more information about how Tirzepatide would be used for weight loss and how effective it would be, so we’ll be keeping a very close eye on what happens with this medication in the US.
Now you know more about what Tirzepatide is used for, you may want to learn a bit more about how it works and what it can do for you.
If you’re looking for more information you’ve come to the right place.
Here are some of our most popular guides about Tirzepatide and other weight management treatments that we think you’ll love.
