tirzepatide
19 June 2024
Tirzepatide, a once weekly sub-cutaneous dual GLP-1 / GIP RA, is highly effective in achieving and maintaining glycaemic targets in people with T2DM and promoting weight loss in adults with obesity or overweight. It has also been approved for the reduction of the severity of sleep-apnea in adults with obesity . Successful clinical trials demonstrated benefits in adults with obesity and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, with an application for approval submitted in 2024. Ongoing phase III and phase II clinical trials are investigating its efficacy in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in people living with T2DM and CKD in people with obesity with or without T2DM. The primary patent on tirzepatide has been granted so far in at least 37 LMICs, including India, and pending in another 14 with an expected expiry in 2036. Secondary patents on the subcutaneous formulation have been filed and granted widely in LMICs and are expected to expire in 2039.