Obesity drugs, 'Wegovy vs Mounjaro' after expanded approval

Mounjaro wins another approval, a year after its approval for type 2 diabetes

Wegovy wins approval based on the SELECT study showing a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases

Wegovy and Mounjaro, regarded as next-generation treatments for obesity, have expanded indications.

 

As a result, intense competition in the market is expected.

 

(From the left) Product photos of Mounjaro and Wegovy.

On July 1st, Eli Lily's Mounjaro (ingredient: tirzepatide) received approval as an adjunct for chronic weight management, a year after it received approval as a type 2 diabetes treatment in June last year.

 

The expansion of Mounjaro's indication suggests that it will likely shift the market for obesity drugs in South Korea.

 

Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (ingredient: semaglutide) and Mounjaro (U.S.

 

product name: Zepbound) are currently dominating the global market.

 

Wegovy generated global sales of US$4.5 billion (about KRW 6 trillion) last year, and Zepbound, launched in Q4 of last year, generated sales of US$176 million (KRW 240 billion).

 

Before Mounjaro, Wegovy had already won domestic approval.

 

In April, Wegovy received approval as an adjunct for chronic weight management.

 

Two drugs have already accumulated the basis of prescription data, expanding their presence in the market.

 

In the STEP study, used for the basis for Wegovy's domestic approval, patients treated with Wegovy (1306 patients) had a 14.9% weight loss on average compared to the baseline over 68 weeks, showing a significant difference of 2.4% compared to the placebo group (655 patients).

 

Mounjaro's SURMOUNT-1 and SURMOUNT-2 studies showed statistically significant weight loss effects compared to the placebo in all doses.

 

The percentage of patients losing weight over 5% in Mounjaro-treated patients was higher than in the placebo group.

 

As Wegovy and Mounjaro, already competing in the global market, are set to launch in South Korea, they will likely cause a shift in the domestic market.

 

Based on real-world prescription data, the recent real-world data (RWD) study showed that the latecomer Mounjaro had more significant weight loss effect than Wegovy.

 

However, it may be too early to predict the market competition when considering the long-term effects and weight gain after discontinuing treatment.

 

Furthermore, there is another factor to consider related to market competition.

 

Wegovy recently received approval as a treatment for reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients with obesity.

 

It has been indicated for 'reducing the risk of major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, heart attack, or non-fatal stroke) in patients with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) and either overweight or obesity who have an early body mass index (BMI) of 27kg/㎡.' In August last year, Novo Nordisk confirmed Wegovy's potential as the standard therapy to prevent major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in the SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial.

 

The clinical study showed that semaglutide 2.4 mg statistically significantly reduced the risk of MACE by 20% compared to placebo, achieving the primary endpoint.

 

When these two drugs launch, they will likely target the market with different indications in addition to those related to obesity treatments: Wegovy's 'obesity and cardiovascular disease' and Mounjaro's 'type 2 diabetes and obesity.' "The competition between Wegovy and Mounjaro is expected to focus on treating obesity," pharmaceutical industry personnel said.

 

He added, "However, as each drug is additionally indicated for either type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, their impact will vary depending on patient conditions."