Yesterday, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved the drug Mounjaro, from the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. With the active ingredient tirzepatide, the drug has a similar effect to Ozempic – which has become popular as a medicine. Tool for weight loss.
It is worth noting that use against obesity has not been approved by the regulatory body. “It is contraindicated for patients who are at an appropriate weight but want to lose a few pounds without cause or comorbidities, such as diabetes or prediabetes,” says Maria Fernanda Barca, MD, an endocrinologist at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. University of Sao Paulo (FMUSP).
Like Ozempic, Mounjaro will be given through weekly injections. Before arriving in Brazil, the drug had already been launched in the United States and Europe. According to the leaflet, Monjaro works to control blood glucose levels.
The drug is not prescribed to people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, a rare type of malignant tumor of the thyroid gland, or in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, a genetic syndrome characterized by the presence of tumors. Which involves some endocrine glands.
Experts in the field celebrated the approval. According to endocrinologist Michele Delarmelina Reis Borba and postgraduate doctor of endocrinology and metabolism Bruno Babito, the drug is very effective in controlling the glycemic index and combating diabetes, which represents an advance in terms of drug and response.
Like Ozempic, Mounjaro is not approved by Anvisa for weight loss — although consumers are using the drug without medical supervision. “We have to be against indiscriminate prescriptions,” criticizes Michelle Borba.
The expert believes that there is a need for more studies to prove the safety of this type of weight loss medication. “I think approval for weight loss will happen one day, but it will be up to the scientific work from both laboratories to provide that documentation and proof that it’s safe,” he muses.
For the manufacturer, Monjaro represents a milestone in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. “Human insulin in 1982, which was the first biologic drug made from recombinant DNA,” recalls Luiz Magno, senior director at Lely Brasil, in a press release.
Did you like the article? Choose how to follow key news from Correio:
Give your opinion! Correio has space in the print edition to publish readers’ opinions via email at [email protected]
“Wannabe internet buff. Future teen idol. Hardcore zombie guru. Gamer. Avid creator. Entrepreneur. Bacon ninja.”
More Stories
Parque Santa Rosa hosts the Mobile Science Travel Laboratory on Monday (29) | North Fluminense
Alentejo Science and Technology Park opens “immersive rooms”
The system helps classify dengue patients