GLP-1 weight loss miracle drug officially launched! Lilly's semaglutide approved in the United States.

GLP-1, a miraculous weight-loss drug, has officially entered the US market, as one of Eli Lilly's drugs has received regulatory approval for sale.

On Wednesday, November 8th, Eastern Time, Eli Lilly announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved their drug, Zepbound, for use in adult patients with obesity and overweight individuals who also have weight-related health issues such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases and need to lose weight and maintain it.

Eli Lilly stated that Zepbound will be available in six different doses, with a price of $1,059.87, and is expected to be launched in the US market by the end of this year.

After the announcement of Zepbound's approval for sale, Eli Lilly's stock price, which had initially fallen during early trading, continued to rise during the midday session, reaching a daily high of $613, with an intraday increase of over 2%. The increase later narrowed to within 2%, but it is still expected to close higher for the third consecutive day, surpassing $600 for the first time since October 18th.

Zepbound contains an active ingredient known domestically as tirzepatide. Mounjaro, a drug with the generic name tirzepatide, was approved last May as an innovative treatment for type 2 diabetes.

Specifically, tirzepatide is a dual receptor agonist of glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). It combines the effects of both intestinal insulinotropic peptides into a single molecule, which is injected once a week.

GIP can supplement the effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists. In preclinical models, it has been shown that GIP can reduce food intake and increase energy expenditure, thereby reducing weight. When combined with GLP-1 receptor agonists, it may have a greater impact on glucose levels and weight.

Previously, the FDA approved the peptide-based weight-loss drugs liraglutide (Saxenda) and semaglutide (Wegovy), both of which belong to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class. Their mechanism of action is to mimic the effects of GLP-1, increase insulin secretion, and control blood glucose levels in diabetic patients.

Due to the discovery in clinical practice that GLP-1 receptor agonists can slow gastric emptying, increase satiety, and reduce appetite, these drugs have become popular weight-loss medications. Clinical trial results for obese/overweight populations abroad have shown that GLP-1 receptor agonists are more effective for weight loss than orlistat.

It is worth noting that, prior to the approval of tirzepatide, it had already gained popularity alongside semaglutide and its low-dose version, Ozempic, as a result of the trend of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. Despite the monthly cost of around $1,000 for these drugs, consumer demand has surged, leading to a shortage of supply in recent months. The Wall Street Journal article "FDA Warning: Severe Shortage of Weight Loss Drug | Insight Research" mentioned that Semaglutide has been in global shortage for nearly a year and will continue to be in shortage.

The speed at which Tirzepatide is being released has shocked the market, making it the fastest climbing drug in history.

Tirzepatide's sales in the first half of the year reached $1.55 billion, with sales in the second quarter alone reaching $980 million, a quarterly growth of 72%. Eli Lilly even further raised its annual sales forecast for Tirzepatide to $4 billion.