Eli Lilly’s blockbuster drug tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, has been cleared to treat obesity, making it the second in a highly effective class of weight loss medications to enter the market.
The Food and Drug Administration’s long-awaited approval of the injectable drug, which will be marketed under the name Zepbound for obesity, is a milestone for Lilly. It also introduces stiff competition for Novo Nordisk, which has had to limit starter doses of its obesity treatment Wegovy due to ongoing shortages.
“In light of increasing rates of both obesity and overweight in the United States, today’s approval addresses an unmet medical need,” John Sharretts, director of the Division of Diabetes, Lipid Disorders, and Obesity in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
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