Mounjaro, an American drug for type 2 diabetes and weight control, is seeing a fair reception in the Indian market just a month after its launch. With 5,400 injections sold within just 10 days, according to Pharmarack data, doctors have been receiving feedback from their patients detailing both its side effects and benefits.
According to News18, patients have experienced a reduction in appetite, blue stools, and bloating, along with better control over food and sugar cravings. Beyond these effects, there is growing discussion about how the drug could impact the obesity and diabetes crisis among Indian patients.
Mounjaro: Dosage and pricing
Mounjaro, also known as Tirzepatide, is a once-a-week injection that works by combining the effects of two natural hormones: GIP (Gastric Inhibitory Polypeptide) and GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1).
Also read | Eli Lilly's Mounjaro launch in India ignites wave of weight-loss enquiries
Approved by India’s main drug authority, Mounjaro costs Rs 4,375 for a 5 mg vial and Rs 3,500 for a 2.5 mg vial. This means a month’s treatment would cost between Rs 14,000 and Rs 17,500.
Mounjaro: Its side effects and benefits
Patients who started using the drug have reportedly shared that they felt better after initially experiencing some side effects and discomfort. According to News18, some of the most common side effects of Mounjaro, launched by American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, include mild nausea, bloating, constipation, and blue stools.
“Many patients experience issues like nausea, bloating, constipation, and blue stools when they start on Mounjaro. All these symptoms tend to be milder when starting with a low dose and escalating gradually," Dr Sweta Budyal, consultant, diabetology & endocrinology, Fortis Hospital Mulund, Mumbai, told News 18 about her experience while treating many of her patients using Mounjaro.
Typically, patients are started on small doses, which are gradually increased as their bodies adjust to the medication. While the majority of patients have continued with the treatment, a small percentage have dropped out.
Significant health improvements, particularly in fasting and postprandial (after-meal) glucose levels, are often seen within 2 to 4 weeks of starting the drug. These improvements become even more noticeable after 12 to 16 weeks as the dosage is increased. Visible weight loss usually begins around 4 to 6 weeks and becomes more noticeable over 3 to 6 months. Some patients have reported losing 10 to 15 percent of their body weight or even more over time, depending on dosage, tolerance, and lifestyle changes.
Feedback also suggests that many patients experience a reduced appetite and better control over cravings for food and sugar. Some have reported feeling more motivated and hopeful after struggling with weight loss for years.
Control over blood glucose level
Experts told News18 that Mounjaro typically starts improving blood sugar levels within a week, though noticeable weight loss takes longer. If blood sugar remains high despite treatment, doctors may need to slowly increase the dosage over several months. Because Mounjaro is so effective at lowering blood sugar, doctors often have to adjust or reduce other diabetes medications to avoid the risk of hypoglycemia.
Popular endocrinologist Dr Anoop Misra, executive chairman at Fortis C-DOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences, told News18 that “weight loss (from the drug intake) is appreciable. (From my patients) Nobody has discontinued it out of about 25 people we started on it. People appear to be happy with weight loss." His patients have seen weight reduction after three to four weeks on dosage.
Mounjaro better for weight loss than Ozempic
Reportedly, clinical trials show that Mounjaro (tirzepatide) leads to faster and greater weight loss compared to semaglutide (Ozempic). People taking Mounjaro 10–15 mg lost 5% of their body weight in about 12 weeks, while those on semaglutide took around 24 weeks. Over 28 weeks, Mounjaro users lost an average of 11.2 kg compared to 6.9 kg with semaglutide, highlighting its effectivene for weight management.
According to Dr Hrishikesh Salgaonkar, Consultant-Bariatric and Laparoscopic Surgery, Fortis Hospital in Mulund, the efficacy of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) has been thoroughly evaluated in the SURPASS series of clinical trials, particularly in SURPASS-2, which compared Mounjaro to semaglutide (Ozempic) and insulin therapies. In these studies, individuals taking Mounjaro at doses of 10 mg to 15 mg achieved a more than or equal to 5 per cent weight loss in approximately 12 weeks, whereas those on semaglutide 1 mg reached the same weight loss threshold in about 24 weeks.
“This indicates that Mounjaro not only leads to significant weight loss but also does so more rapidly than semaglutide."
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