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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Lilly's Mounjaro gets a new FDA-approved use — cutting heart attack and stroke risk in adults with type 2 diabetes. The approval was backed by a head-to-head trial showing Mounjaro reduced major adverse cardiovascular events 8% more than Lilly's own older drug, Trulicity. This puts Lilly in direct competition with Novo Nordisk, whose GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Rybelsus already carry similar heart-protective approvals.
Mounjaro just got a powerful new label. The FDA has approved Eli Lilly's tirzepatide injection (Mounjaro) to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes who are at high cardiovascular risk. The decision expands the drug's profile well beyond blood sugar control, positioning it as a cardiovascular therapy in a crowded but fast-growing space.
The approval was driven by results from a large head-to-head trial pitting Mounjaro against Lilly's older diabetes drug, Trulicity. Mounjaro came out ahead — cutting the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by 8% more than its predecessor. The drug, which targets the GLP-1 protein, is also sold under the name Zepbound for obesity in the U.S.
Lilly now joins rival Novo Nordisk, whose GLP-1 drugs Wegovy (for overweight/obese adults without diabetes) and Rybelsus (for diabetic patients) both carry FDA-approved cardiovascular indications.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: As GLP-1 drugs expand into cardiovascular disease, clinicians treating high-risk diabetic patients now have another FDA-backed option — one with head-to-head data supporting its superiority over an established therapy.
