Inside Your Health: Weight loss medications

Some drugs approved by the FDA to treat diabetes have shown another potential benefit: weight loss.

A class of drug called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is known by brand names like Ozempic and Trulicity. GLP-1s are used to treat diabetes, but some diabetics have also lost weight during treatment.

A new drug, Tirzepatide, recently underwent a 72-week trial on non-diabetics and showed the potential help people lose weight at proportions as high as 21%. Our KSTP medical expert says this is the first time a medication could rival getting bariatric surgery, or weight loss surgery.

KSTP medical expert Dr. Archelle Georgiou gives advice about Tirzepatide and similar drugs intended to treat diabetes in this week’s “Inside Your Health.”