Better than Ozempic? The ‘King Kong’ of weight loss jabs is here, but there’s a catch...

It’s a drug that could mean you lose a quarter of your body weight, making it to date the most powerful non-surgical option for shedding pounds. But, reports Anna Magee, how do you choose which jab is the best one for you and what do we really know about their long term effects?

Mounjaro is the latest miracle weight loss jab to hit the UK (Getty Images)

This week a new weight loss drug became available, promising to help people lose up to a quarter of their body weight. The only other treatment currently available that comes close to this effect is weight loss surgery. With 25.9 per cent of Britons currently obese and 37 per cent overweight, and with 250 chronic conditions directly related to obesity, from heart disease to cancer, this is being hailed as a huge breakthrough. 

Dubbed the “King Kong” of weight loss jabs, Mounjaro, the brand name for tirzepatide, is a weekly injection licensed to treat type 2 diabetes on the NHS. Trials have shown some users can lose up to 25 per cent of their body weight in 18 months – that’s 10 per cent more than other popular weight loss medication Wegovy over the same period.

That makes it the most powerful non-surgical option on the market for large-scale weight loss today. Now, it’s been made available privately for weight loss patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, and those who have an index of 27-30 as well as a weight-related condition like heart disease or high blood pressure. But does it sound too good to be true?