A leading European medical group announced a new framework for treating obesity on Thursday, recommending Novo’s (NVO) semaglutide and Lilly’s (NYSE:LLY) tirzepatide, marketed as Wegovy and Zepbound, respectively, should be first-line options for obesity and associated complications.
The European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) announced the new treatment algorithm in conjunction with a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, which evaluated the impact of different obesity therapies on weight reduction and obesity-related complications.
“Even though there are several options on the market, the reality is that semaglutide and tirzepatide are so effective that they should be the first choice in almost all cases,” said the study’s co-first author, Andreea Ciudin of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona.
The authors designed the framework using the presence or absence of obesity-related complications to determine the treatment option. They added that when a significant weight reduction is required, tirzepatide and semaglutide should be the treatments of choice, and other drugs such as liraglutide marketed by Novo (NVO) as Victoza should be considered when the weight loss target is lower.
“It is the first framework guided by the presence or absence of obesity-related complications, since weight loss is not the only goal of treatment when complications are present,” added Professor Barbara McGowan of Guy’s & St. Thomasʼ Hospital NHS Trust, another co-first author of the study.