(NewsNation) — Adults taking weight loss drugs tirzepatide, also known as Zepbound and Mounjaro, lost more weight more quickly than those taking semaglutide: Wegovy and Ozempic.
Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine observed weight loss in 18,386 overweight or obese adults taking tirzepatide or semaglutide over the course of one year.
Those taking Zepbound or Mounjaro were at least 76% more likely to have lost at least 5% of their weight than Wegovy and Ozempic. Tirzepatide patients were also 154% more likely to lose 10% and 224% more likely for 15% or higher weight loss.
The drug also helped them lose it faster. Adults on Zepbound and Mounjaro lost 2.4% more weight at three months, 4.3% more at six months and 6.9% more one year in.
“To our knowledge, this study represents the first clinical comparative effectiveness study of tirzepatide and semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity” issues, researchers wrote.
Aside from Type 2 diabetes and weight loss treatments, all four drugs have been noted to have alternative medical purposes. New research found that a class of diabetes drug, which includes both tirzepatide and semaglutide, can offer protection from some obesity-associated cancers.
Mounjaro and Zepbound could also benefit those suffering from sleep apnea, according to a study from the New England Journal of Medicine. Patients who took the drug had their number of sleep apnea episodes reduced by about half to nearly 60 percent compared to just 10 percent who received a placebo.
Roughly 15.5 million U.S. adults use weight loss drugs, according to a May Gallup poll.
NewsNation’s Lauren Irwin contributed to this report.