-Novo Nordisk’s and Eli Lilly’s blockbuster weight-loss drugs should be the first medicines doctors reach for to treat obesity and its complications, a major European medical association advised on Thursday.
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo’s Wegovy and Ozempic, and tirzepatide, sold as Zepbound and Mounjaro by Lilly, are so effective that they should be the first choice in almost all cases when substantial weight loss is necessary, according to a new guideline from the European Association for the Study of Obesity published in Nature Medicine.
When a lesser degree of weight loss is required, other medications can be considered, including liraglutide, an older, less effective drug from the same class, naltrexone–bupropion, and phentermine-topiramate, the guideline says.
The EASO guidelines are non-binding on individual countries.
Semaglutide, tirzepatide, and other drugs from the class known as GLP-1 agonists are completely transforming care of obesity and its complications, coauthor Dr. Andreea Ciudin of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona said in a statement.
Although no treatment algorithm can replace the nuanced clinical judgment necessary for comprehensive patient care, the new guidelines can serve to support therapeutic decision-making in obesity, she said.
