Dr. Ahmed
Ozempic Vs Mounjaro is a comparison of two weekly diabetes medicines, Semalgutide and Tirzepatide.
Both these drugs are compared and presented here in table format for easy understanding.
Ozempic Vs Mounjaro: Basics | ||
Ozempic | Mounjaro | |
| Class | GLP-1 analog | Dual GLP-1 and GIP analog |
| Drug | Semaglutide | Tirzepatide |
| Manufacturer | Novo Nordisk | Eli Lilly |
| Uses (Approved Indication) | Diabetes Type 2 | Diabetes Type 2 |
Both Ozempic and Mounjaro have got approval from the FDA for the treatment of Diabetes Type 2. Semaglutide has also been approved for oral use by the brand name Rybelsus.
Rybelsus is also approved only for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. It is taken as a once-daily oral tablet alone or in combination with Jardiance, Farxiga, Metformin, Insulin, or sulfonylurea.
Wegovy is a once-weekly high-dose Semaglutide that has been approved only for the treatment of obesity and weight loss.
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Ozempic Vs Mounjaro: Dosing | ||
Dosage and Formulations | Ozempic | Mounjaro |
| Formulation | 0.5 ml pen injector that contains:
| 0.5 ml pen injector that contains:
|
| Dose | 0.25 mg once weekly for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks or continued. After 4 weeks, the dose may be increased to 1 mg per week for 4 weeks up to 2 mg per week | 2.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks, then 5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks or continued. After 4 weeks, the dose may be increased at monthly intervals to 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, and then 15 mg per week maximum |
| How to administer | Subcutaneous in the skin | Subcutaneous in the skin |
Both Ozempic and Mounjaro are administered once weekly into the skin. Both these drugs are given in a low dose for four weeks after which the dose is increased.
The maximum dose of Ozempic, as per the manufacturer’s labeling is 1 mg weekly. However, recently the maximum dose has been increased to 2 mg once weekly for the treatment of Diabetes Mellitus.
Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) is administered as a 2.5 mg injection weekly for four weeks. The dose is then increased to 5 mg which is the usual starting anti-diabetic dose.
The maximum recommended dose of Mounjaro is 15 mg once a week.
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Ozempic Vs Mounjaro: A1C and Weight Loss | ||
Efficacy | Ozempic | Mounjaro |
| A1C reduction |
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| Weight Loss |
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Ozempic vs Mounjaro for Diabetes: Effect on A1C:
Both Ozempic and Mounjaro are two highly potent diabetes medications. These drugs have shown superior efficacies in the management of diabetes compared to all the currently available diabetes medications.
When comparing Ozempic with Mounjaro, both 0.5 mg and 1 mg Ozempic have comparable A1C-lowering effects vs low-dose Mounjaro in a dose of 5 mg once weekly.
Mounjaro in a dose of 10 mg and 15 mg weekly, however, demonstrated superiority over Ozempic 0.5 mg and 1 mg administered once a week.
| The mean difference in A1C between Ozempic and Mounjaro | Ozempic dose | Mounjaro dose | Which is better |
| 0.51% | 0.5 mg | 5 mg | Mounjaro |
| 0.15% | 1 mg | 5 mg | Comparable |
| 0.74% | 0.5 mg | 10 mg | Mounjaro |
| 0.38% | 1 mg | 10 mg | Mounjaro |
| 0.8% | 0.5 mg | 15 mg | Mounjaro |
| 0.44% | 1 mg | 15 mg | Mounjaro |
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Ozempic Vs Mounjaro for Diabetes: Effect on Body Weight:
Among the six weight loss medicines that have been approved, Semaglutide has shown superior results. However, the low-dose formulation, Ozempic is not approved for weight loss.
The FDA approved Tirzepatide on 8th November, 2023 for weight loss but with a different brand name, Zepbound.
Since both Ozempic and Mounjaro are associated with significant weight loss, we compared the weight loss effects of both these drugs.
Ozempic in a dose of 0.5 mg is associated with about 4.6 kg of weight loss while 1 mg is associated with 5.7 to 6.5 kg of weight loss.
On the other hand, the weight loss effect of 15 mg Mounjaro is double that of Ozempic 1 mg.
High dose Semaglutide, Wegovy has been associated with a maximum weight loss of 16% while Mounjaro is associated with 22% body weight loss.
Drug | Dose | Weight Loss |
| Ozempic | 0.5 mg | 4.6 kg |
| 1 mg | 5.7 – 6.5 kg | |
| Mounjaro | 5 mg | 7.6 kg |
| 10 mg | 9.3 kg | |
| 15 mg | 11.2 kg |
Mounjaro is associated with greater weight loss even in low doses compared to high-dose Ozempic.
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Ozempic Vs Mounjaro Side effects | ||
Side effects | Ozempic | Mounjaro |
| Contraindications |
|
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| Pancreatitis | 0.3 cases per 100 patient-years (vs 0.2 cases in the comparator group) | 0.23 cases per 100 years of exposure (vs 0.11 cases per 100 years of exposure in the comparator group |
| Diabetic Retinopathy | With background disease: 3% vs 1.8 % in the placebo Without background disease: 8.2% vs 5.2% in the placebo | – |
| Hypoglycemia |
vs 15.2% in the placebo |
Vs 13% in the placebo |
| Acute renal failure | Can cause acute renal failure | Can cause acute renal failure |
| Nausea |
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| Vomiting |
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| Diarrhea |
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| Abdominal pain |
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| Constipation |
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| Gallstones |
| 0.6% |
| Amylase | 13% | 38% |
| Lipase | 22% | 42% |
| Injection site reaction | 0.2% | 3.2% |
| Fatigue | 0.4% | – |
| Heart rate | 2 – 3 beats per minute | 2 – 4 beats per minute |
The side effects of both Ozempic and Mounjaro are comparable. Since both these drugs have a similar mechanism of action and both are incretins, both these drugs can cause pancreatitis.
The incidence of medullary thyroid cancer is not well known but both these drugs should not be given to individuals who have a history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN-II syndrome.
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Ozempic Vs Mounjaro Drug Interactions | ||
Drug Interactions | Ozempic | Mounjaro |
| Avoid |
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| Monitor when given in combination with Ozempic or Mounjaro |
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In summary:
Ozempic and Mounjaro are highly potent drugs used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. They have significant weight loss effects and lower the A1C significantly.
Mounjaro has superior A1C-lowering effects and is associated with greater weight loss compared to Ozempic.
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