The Food and Drug Administration has approved another medication to treat chronic obesity in adults.
Zepbound — from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly — is another version of Mounjaro, which is already FDA-approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, but many have used it off-label for weight loss.
The two drugs are brand names for tirzepatide, which has been proven to be highly effective for weight loss by reducing appetite and improving how the body breaks down sugar and fat. 
Zepbound — taken by injection in the thigh, stomach or arm — will be sold as a weight loss prescription medication to be used “in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity,” the FDA says.
On Wednesday, U.S. and UK regulators both gave a thumbs up to the drug as a weight-loss treatment, which will be sold under the brand name Zepbound for the expanded label.
Mounjaro had increasingly been used "off-label" for weight loss, while the obesity approval was pending.
Zepbound will be on U.S. shelves later this month, and in the U.K. "sooner rather than later," the company said.
The drug will cost $1,060 a month. NBC News reported that Medicare and many insurance companies do not cover such medications, which will make it difficult for many people to afford Zepbound.
“The current cost is too expensive for the general population,” Dr. Nishant Shah, a preventative cardiologist at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, told NBC News. “We have to be able to get to patients in an affordable way.”
Eli Lilly, is part of the same class of drugs, GLP-1 agonists, as Ozempic and Wegovy, which have gained popularity for their ability to induce weight loss quickly. Zepbound's main ingredient is tirzepatide, the same as Mounjaro, also made by Eli Lilly and FDA-approved to treat Type 2 diabetes. Both Zepbound and Mounjaro work by mimicking two different types of hormones that help reduce food cravings and break down sugar and fat, facilitating weight loss.
Looking ahead, the NHS is optimistic about the potential benefits these treatments could bring to thousands in England, with Mounjaro possibly joining NHS treatment options in the future.
Currently, Wegovy is available through select NHS specialist weight-loss services and private clinics, with some High Street chains also offering it, albeit with limited stocks.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has expressed hope regarding Mounjaro’s potential. He emphasizes that, pending further NHS approvals, Mounjaro could be a game-changer for those battling obesity and related health issues, particularly when used alongside a balanced diet and regular physical activity.
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