04/25/2025  |  Silvana Reis  |  G1
https://g1.globo.com/saude/bem-estar/noticia/2025/04/25/mounjaro-concorrente-do-ozempic-chega-as-farmacias-em-maio-saiba-data-e-preco-das-versoes-do-remedio.ghtml 

Mounjaro (tirzepatida), for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, will be available in pharmacies in Brazil from the first half of May - Photo: Lilly press release

The drug Mounjaro (tirzepatida) will be available in pharmacies in Brazil from the first half of May. The pen, a competitor to Ozempic (semaglutide), was approved by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in 2023.

The drug was not sold in the country and even became a target for smuggling.
The drug has been approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and is awaiting authorization from Anvisa for a package leaflet for chronic weight control.

Despite this, it is already indicated by doctors off-label as a form of treatment for weight loss. There are also studies evaluating its efficacy against sleep apnea, hepatic steatosis, chronic kidney disease and heart failure.
According to the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, Mounjaro represents a new therapeutic class for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, a disease that affects almost 16 million people in Brazil. According to research, the effect of tirzepatida on blood glucose control is superior to that of semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic), which is already available in the country.

Cost of treatment
The drug is injected weekly and will be available in 2.5 mg and 5 mg dosages:

➡️ Dosage 2.5 mg - Box of 4 pens will cost:
- Through the Lilly manufacturer's program: R$1,406.75 (e-commerce) and R$1,506.76 in the physical store
- Outside the manufacturer's program: R$ 1,907.29

➡️ Dosage 5 mg - Box of 4 pens will cost:
- Through the Lilly manufacturer's program: R$1,759.64 (e-commerce) and R$1,859.65 in the physical store
- Outside the manufacturer's program: R$ 2.384,34

Each pen contains a single dose, so the box of 4 is enough for one month's treatment.

Withholding a prescription

This month, Anvisa made it compulsory to retain a doctor's prescription when selling GLP-1 agonist drugs, also known as “slimming pens”, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, Mounjaro and similar. The decision will take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Official Gazette (DOU).

Until then, this category of drugs classified with a red stripe could only be sold on presentation of a prescription. In practice, it is common for prescriptions not to be required and, as a result, customers without them are able to buy the drugs.

Understand how tirzepatida works

Tirzepatide acts to control blood sugar levels and weight in patients. According to the manufacturer, it is the first available and approved medication capable of acting on the receptors of the two hormones that control appetite.

How tirzepatida and semaglutide work - Photo: Arte/g1

- AREA OF ACTION: It acts on a pair of incretin hormones, GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1)1.

- IMPORTANCE OF HORMONES: GIP and GLP-1 act in areas of the human brain that are important for regulating appetite. They are secreted by the intestine in response to nutrients and act to improve the release of insulin after a meal.

- EFFECT OF THE DRUG: Tirzepatide has demonstrated the ability to decrease food cravings and to modulate the way the body uses fat. Patients with type 2 diabetes experience a decrease in this effect.

- PARALLEL ACTION: In preclinical models, GIP is responsible for two-thirds of the incretin effect and contributes to insulin secretion, helps to reduce food intake and increase energy expenditure, resulting in weight reductions and, when combined with GLP-1, can result in greater effects on blood glucose control and body weight reduction.

Effect on weight loss
- According to the Surpass-2 study, patients who used tirzepatide lost 12.4 kilos on average. The researchers calculate that this is double that observed with semaglutide.
- In the Surmount-3 and 4 studies, tirzepatida was compared with placebo (a substance with no apparent therapeutic effect) and led to a weight reduction of 26% (or 28 kilos on average).

This study evaluated obese or overweight volunteers who had comorbidities (chronic diseases), but who did not have type 2 diabetes.
The rate is very close - and in some cases even higher - than the results obtained with bariatric surgery.