Another diabetes drug may beat Ozempic for blood sugar control and weight loss.

As countries including Australia manage shortages of diabetes drug Ozempic (semaglutide) because people are using it to lose weight, a study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes' conference suggests a different drug may be more effective for both weight loss and managing blood sugar levels. 

The researchers compiled the results of trials testing the effectiveness of semaglutide or tirzepatide, a drug currently approved in Australia for treating type 2 diabetes. 

They say tirzepatide performed better overall across the trials, both for blood sugar control and weight loss.
Tirzepatide, especially at the 15 mg dosage, significantly outperformed semaglutide in reducing HbA1c (a measure of blood sugar control) and weight loss. 

In terms of body weight change, tirzepatide led the way, with tirzepatide 15 mg versus semaglutide 2.0 mg showing a remarkable -5.72 kg difference.

However, it is worth noting that high-dose tirzepatide (15 mg) was associated with an increased risk of vomiting compared to semaglutide. 

While tirzepatide shows promise, further research and regulatory approvals are needed before it can officially claim superiority as a weight loss solution for type 2 diabetes patients.

These are early findings however, as the researchers say their study has not yet been submitted to a journal and tirzepatide has not yet been approved as a weight loss drug.