Hendricks Regional Health doctor talks pros and cons of weight loss drugs
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. is making a mark on helping millions of people lose weight with the recent approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its weight loss drug, Zepbound. The approval is drumming up excitement among doctors and patients.
Zepbound is the first weight loss drug on the market that targets two receptors in the brain.
The first, known as GLP, is used to decrease appetite and slow digestion to help people feel full longer. Zepbound is the first to target a second receptor known as GIP.
Hendricks Regional Health Endocrinologist Dr. Priya Menon told Business of Health Reporter Kylie Veleta that the two-layer approach not only causes greater weight loss, but decreases side effects as well.
“I cannot explain what a game changer these drugs are,” she said. “Where we will tell our patients before, we would advocate for bariatric surgery. Now, we are able to tell them, ‘Let’s try these drugs first and then see how you do.'”
Zepbound is a once-weekly injection is approved for anyone with a body mass index above 30 or above 27 with a weight related problem, hypertension, high cholesterol, obstructed sleep apnea, or diabetes. The drug uses the same compound as Lilly’s type 2 diabetes drug, Mounjaro.
However, Menon said there are two key hurdles for patients to access the drug. Most private insurance companies don’t cover weight loss drugs, which can be very expensive. The other problem, according to Menon, is that demand is so high that pharmacies are running out, creating a big back order.
“I think Lily did expect a big demand, but not to this extent,” she said. “So this has been a little bit of a challenge. But this is a good challenge to have.”
Lilly CEO Dave Ricks echoed the challenge of meeting soaring demand for Zepbound, but the company is working to increase production. He noted that Lilly has several other weight loss-related treatments in the pipeline.
Menon said every drug has a con, but there aren’t that many for Zepbound. The most common side effects are GI issues like nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, but the side effects come on a case-by-case basis.
But Menon notes that patients won’t simply stop taking the drug when they hit their weight loss goal. She said it’s a drug that they will be taking for the rest of their lives.
“A lot of people are saying very exciting weight loss, but even if you don’t reach your goal, it is beneficial for you and you have to stick with the drug,” she said. “When you stop using the drug, what we’re seeing is your appetite comes back with a vengeance, and you’re getting all the weight back.”