Dec. 4, 2024
StatNews.com today reported that…. Eli Lilly’s drug Zepbound resulted in weight loss that was 47% greater than the weight loss achieved with Wegovy, the rival medicine made by Novo Nordisk, according to a new head-to-head study out this morning. The news likely will not be entirely surprising to the physicians and scientists who closely watch this space: Similar results have been seen when the same drugs — that is, tirzepatide and semaglutide, respectively — are used to treat diabetes.
In the 751-volunteer trial, volunteers receiving Zepbound lost 20.2% of their body weight on average after 72 weeks, compared to 13.7% in those treated with Wegovy. This translated into a 50.3 lbs in the tirzepatide group and 33.1 lbs in the semaglutide group.
In other news….
Compounding Pharmacies Rebut Novo Nordisk;s FDA Petition
In October, Novo Nordisk petitioned the FDA to bar compounding pharmacies from copying its weight loss drug semaglutide, citing safety concerns about the purity of these facsimiles. There have been ongoing shortages of GLP-1 drugs, and compounding pharmacies have stepped in to fill in supply gaps; to the chagrin of branded drugmakers, they have ended up with a pronounced market share of their own.
Now, in a lengthy letter, the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding has now rebutted Novo’s argument, saying that the company’s assertion that compounded versions of the drugs are inferior is “unpersuasive.” The letter says that Novo “disingenuously asserts” that compounded versions are unsafe and unreliable, highlighting patient satisfaction with the products — and says that these drugs have no place on the FDA’s “Demonstrably Difficult to Compound” lists.
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