Researchers have suggested that millions of diabetics could see life-changing results from an “incredible” new drug.
Tirzepatide works by mimicking hormones that help control blood sugar and curb appetite, to shed pounds.
It has already been shown to be more effective than other similar drugs, including those on the NHS.
But the new data, due to be presented at a medical conference, will reveal that it also works faster for up to 12 weeks.
The scientists involved in the analysis said that injections once a week produced results “that go beyond anything else available to us now.”
Tirzepatide mimics hormones in the body, helping people feel full and satisfied after a meal.
These levels are often low in obese patients, who tend to make up the majority of type 2 diabetes patients.
In addition to helping people feel full, the drug controls diabetes by enabling the body to avoid sugar accidents, removing excess sugar from the body and preventing the liver from producing and excreting too much sugar.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to blindness and leave patients who need amputations or in a coma.
The new analysis shows that tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro and made by the US drug company Eli Lilly, could provide better and faster improvements for sufferers.
The new data came from two trials that compared a dose of 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg with two different existing medicines.
Tirzepatide doses were increased by 2.5 mg every four weeks until the desired strength was reached and then maintained throughout the trial period, which lasted approximately one year.
One trial involved nearly 1,500 people with type 2 diabetes.
The other trial compared the three doses of tirzepatide with another weekly dose for weight loss and diabetes called semaglutide.
The tirzepatide recipients reached a key milestone in their glycemic control, a hemoglobin A1c level of less than 7%, on average four weeks faster than those taking semaglutide.
It also outperformed daily insulin doses, with participants on tirzepatide reporting a hemoglobin A1c level of less than 6.5% 12 weeks prior.
Similar results for weight loss were also reported in the semaglutide trial.