Understanding tirzepatide Tirzepatide, also known by the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound, is an FDA-approved dual-action GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist made by Eli Lilly
It is unknown whether Saxenda causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans, as the human relevance of liraglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined
But Ashwani Verma, a biopharma stock analyst at the investment firm UBS, says it is difficult to gauge how much the new drugs will eat into the semaglutide market in the coming years
"You would have to commit to a lifelong taking of this drug, which is something you would contemplate only if the benefits outweigh the risks, as low as this risk could be," Rubino said
Tirzepatide, on the other hand, targets both GLP-1 and a second hormone called GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide)