Eli Lilly, the Indianapolis-based drug maker, announced that its type 2 diabetes drug called Tirzepatide was an effective weight-loss drug for people who were overweight or obese and will ask the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track approval for its use in the U.S.

According to a late-stage study by the company, obese and overweight individuals who took the drug lost up to 16 percent of their body weight in about 17 months. Those who injected themselves with the drug weekly lost up to 22 percent of their body weight. 

The most recent study involved more than 900 adults who took the drug for 17 months. Those who took the highest doses, on average, lost 34 pounds, or 16 percent of their weight. Those in the placebo group who did not receive the injection lost an average of 7 pounds. Tirzepatide, which is sold as Mounjaro, is on the market for individuals with type 2 diabetes.  

One of the researchers told CNN that once a drug is approved by the FDA, it automatically gets a green light for any reason a doctor sees as medically necessary.

Dr. Caroline Apovian, the director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told the Associated Press that if everyone in the U.S. who is obese lost 20 percent of their body weight, the country would be “taking patients off all of these medications for reflux, for diabetes, for hypertension.”

“We would not be sending patients for stent replacements,” she said.

NBC News, citing industry analysts, reported that the drug could become one of the top-selling drugs ever, and could bring in $50 billion in annual sales. The drug starts at $1,000 a month for diabetes patients. Wegovy, another injectable prescription medication for adults with obesity, costs $1,300 a month. 

Jenny Craig to Close Some Centers Because of Weight-Loss Drug Craze 

Jenny Craig, the famed company known for helping women lose weight by altering their diets, announced last week that it is trying to sell the company during an industry shift and is “winding down physical operations” in the U.S.

“Like many other companies, we’re currently transitioning from a brick-and-mortar retail business to a customer-friendly, e-commerce driven model. We will have more details to share in the coming weeks as our plans are solidified,” the company told CNN.  

The Carlsbad, California-based company alerted some of its staffers that there is a potential of mass layoffs and that they all should be prepared to be cut. There are about 600 Jenny Craig weight-loss centers across the U.S.

“We do not know the exact employees/groups who will be impacted, and if any employees may be retained. As a result, we would suggest that you anticipate that your employment may be impacted and begin to seek other employment,” the company said, according to CNBC. 

TRENDPOST: It is no surprise that companies like Jenny Craig are facing headwinds as more Americans look for the easy way out to lose weight, despite the stated risks.  

The NBC News report said it all.

“Rather than relying solely on diet exercise and willpower to reduce weight, Tirzepatide and other new drugs targeted digestive and chemical pathways that underlie obesity, suppressing appetite and blunting cravings for food,” the report said. 

In other words, no self-control or responsibility. (See “THE BIG OBESITY KILLER HITS EUROPE AT ‘EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS’” 10 May 2022, “THE AMERICAN WAY: FAT, DUMB, AND STUFFED WITH SANDWICHES”21 Mar 2023, “KEEP SWALLOWING SHIT NEWS AND EATING SHIT FOOD: MORE THAN HALF OF HUMANITY WILL BE FAT, OBESE BY 2035”7 Mar 2023 and “GET FAT, GET SICK: FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION CAN BRING ON NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE” 24 Jan 2023.)

The report also said the drug “appears safe,” but there can be side effects, including some that are serious. The report noted that some of the negative reactions included nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. Some of the more serious cases developed pancreatitis and the company warned users that the drug could cause thyroid tumors, including cancers. 

There has never been a study that tracked the long-term complications from drugs designed to override human metabolism. 

The company said using Tirzepatide could be a lifetime decision.

“Unfortunately, Tirzepatide is probably like every other drug we have which requires you to take it to continue to get the benefits,” Dan Skovronsky, M.D., Ph.D., Lilly’s chief scientific and medical officer, said during a conference call, according to FiercePharma. 

“My expectation is that many patients may try coming off the drug completely to see what happens,” Skovronsky said, according to the website. “Maybe some will be successful maintaining their weight, but many of them will probably experience some regression of their weight back toward baseline and this could prompt them to come back on the drug.”

Last week, we reported on the jump in weight-loss surgeries among children in the U.S. (See “WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY FOR CHILDREN IN U.S. JUMPS…WHO CARES ABOUT DIET?” 25 Apr 2023.)