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FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

investor.lilly.com

61–70 of 95 posts

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#61
post #39
post #17

> Research now shows that the body may respond to a calorie-deficit diet by increasing hunger and reducing feelings of fullness Dieting makes you hungry, truly revolutionary research.

It seems obvious but the “just eat less” crowd needs to hear it. Ever try working on a tricky coding project while starving? Take a math test when all you can think about is finding something, anything, to eat? Losing significant amounts of weight the natural way isn’t so much a test of willpower as a test of how well you can function under a constant sense of hunger (or, how good you are at tricking your way out of…

Free school breakfasts are a thing because kids will go home on Friday and not eat anything til Monday. The second hunger is no longer an issue, the kids perform much better.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#62
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems obvious but the “just eat less” crowd needs to hear it. Ever try working on a tricky coding project while starving? Take a math test when all you can think about is finding something, anything, to eat? Losing significant amounts of weight the natural way isn’t so much a test of willpower as a test of how well you can function under a constant sense of hunger (or, how good you are at tricking your way out of…

To fight off hunger while dieting, you eat lower calorie density, fiber-rich vegetables and unsaturated fats. Potatoes, avocados, legumes, there are a lot of options. They just don't fulfill the same psychological need that less healthy food does.

If it's a psychological issue, then couldn't it also be a chemical imbalance?

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#63
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are quite a few veggies that are low calorie, filling, and are tasty enough to snack on without dip. The ones I eat when I just want to feel full without a bunch of calories are carrots (45 cal/100g), cucumbers (14 cal/100g), sugar snap peas ( 42 cal/100g), and yellow bell pepper (27 cal/100g).

The caveat being that taste is subjective. If we're talking raw with no sauce I can't say there's any vegetable I'm keen to snack on, certainly none on your list.

Particularly if your body craves protein, then carrots won't really cut it.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Presuming “we” is the companies that own the current patent, what does this have to do with the older molecule’s patent that is expiring? "Evergreening" is a very common practice among pharmaceutical companies. In its purest form, it looks like this: * About 10 years after a drug has been approved, they will seek approval for a replacement version which is very similar, but different enough to qualify for a differe…

>* About 10 years after a drug has been approved, they will seek approval for a replacement version which is very similar, but different enough to qualify for a different patent. Why are other companies not jumping on this opportunity before 10 years? >Then, when the patent for the first drug expires (year 17), there's "no market" for it, because nobody is currently prescribed that drug, so no manufacturers will both…

Why are other companies not jumping on this opportunity before 10 years?

They do, when they can. But often they can't. A patent covers not just the molecule, but the treatment. Often, they would need to license the original patent even if they have the more advanced molecule, and they can't get the license.

So the cost of educating consumers (marketing) is not offset by the difference in cost of selling the generic and the cost of selling the new patented version?

Patients aren't really equipped to make this decision. It's made by doctors and by insurance companies. They are often reluctant to prescribe/pay for the "almost as good and a lot cheaper" drug, for fear of exposing themselves to risk. Generics manufacturers don't usually have the influence to convince them otherwise.

There's also the regulators. If the drug manufacturer can convince the regulator that the old drug is dangerous, they can simply forbid it.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#65
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're saying this NEW medication is already currently the gold standard? What was it prior?

The active ingredient, tirzepatide, isn't what's new here. It was patented in 2016 and has been on the market for treating type 2 diabetes since 2021. What's new is that tirzepatide is now FDA approved for treatment of obesity, which will make it possible for insurance to cover it without a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

It should also be noted that during those original studies significant weight loss was observed, which is why doctor's were prescribing tirzepatide off-label.

Also just like Ozempic/Wegovy, Mounjaro is still indicated for type 2 diabetes. Zepbound will be the weight loss drug.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#66
post #39
post #17

> Research now shows that the body may respond to a calorie-deficit diet by increasing hunger and reducing feelings of fullness Dieting makes you hungry, truly revolutionary research.

It seems obvious but the “just eat less” crowd needs to hear it. Ever try working on a tricky coding project while starving? Take a math test when all you can think about is finding something, anything, to eat? Losing significant amounts of weight the natural way isn’t so much a test of willpower as a test of how well you can function under a constant sense of hunger (or, how good you are at tricking your way out of…

Eating at a ~500 calorie deficit is not starving.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#67
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>* About 10 years after a drug has been approved, they will seek approval for a replacement version which is very similar, but different enough to qualify for a different patent. Why are other companies not jumping on this opportunity before 10 years? >Then, when the patent for the first drug expires (year 17), there's "no market" for it, because nobody is currently prescribed that drug, so no manufacturers will both…

Why are other companies not jumping on this opportunity before 10 years? They do, when they can. But often they can't. A patent covers not just the molecule, but the treatment. Often, they would need to license the original patent even if they have the more advanced molecule, and they can't get the license. So the cost of educating consumers (marketing) is not offset by the difference in cost of selling the generic a…

> A patent covers not just the molecule, but the treatment.

That sounds crazy. How can someone patent the process of healing? What else could patenting the “treatment” mean? Are there any examples of this?

> Patients aren't really equipped to make this decision. It's made by doctors and by insurance companies. They are often reluctant to prescribe/pay for the "almost as good and a lot cheaper" drug, for fear of exposing themselves to risk.

Why would they have risk, if the government has already declared it legal to sell? Insurance companies and government are known to prefer cheaper, generic medicine, and a common complaint is insurance companies and government requiring prior authorization for brand name medications.

> There's also the regulators. If the drug manufacturer can convince the regulator that the old drug is dangerous, they can simply forbid it.

This would be pretty big corruption. Are there examples?

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#68
post #66
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems obvious but the “just eat less” crowd needs to hear it. Ever try working on a tricky coding project while starving? Take a math test when all you can think about is finding something, anything, to eat? Losing significant amounts of weight the natural way isn’t so much a test of willpower as a test of how well you can function under a constant sense of hunger (or, how good you are at tricking your way out of…

Eating at a ~500 calorie deficit is not starving.

Call it what you want but for some unlucky people when they run a deficit they completely shut down mentally. Their ability to lose weight is entirely dependent on how long they're able to avoid doing any mentally taxing activity.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#69
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Obesity is being changed from a willpower problem to a chronic disease that is treatable It's absolutely a willpower problem. These medications won't fix that for you. You stop taking them and you will gain weight again.

Hunger is caused by not enough glucagen-like peptides (GLP-1, etc) being distributed to the brain from the gut. Obesity is not so much a food "addiction" as it is the body's failure to properly regulate it's own fullness. I've heard this called "food noise" by those who are obese. GLP-1 agonists reduce the so called food noise -- that's all it does. In that light your argument is like trying to tell schizophrenics, "…

Fully agree with you. I think the unknown that still remains is why that noise is created. It must be related to modern food processing, besides the abundance of food.

Re: FDA Approves Lilly's Zepbound (Tirzepatide) for Chronic Weight Management

#70
post #65
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The active ingredient, tirzepatide, isn't what's new here. It was patented in 2016 and has been on the market for treating type 2 diabetes since 2021. What's new is that tirzepatide is now FDA approved for treatment of obesity, which will make it possible for insurance to cover it without a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

It should also be noted that during those original studies significant weight loss was observed, which is why doctor's were prescribing tirzepatide off-label. Also just like Ozempic/Wegovy, Mounjaro is still indicated for type 2 diabetes. Zepbound will be the weight loss drug.

Can people still get insurance to cover stuff like Ozempic (generic or otherwise) even if its technically prescribed off-label?
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