The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new kind of treatment for type 2 diabetes. The once-weekly injection, called Mounjaro (tirzepatide), was found to be more effective at controlling blood sugar levels than other current treatments, and a recent trial found the drug may also be useful as an anti-obesity therapy.

“Given the challenges many patients experience in achieving their target blood sugar goals, today’s approval of Mounjaro is an important advance in the treatment of type 2 diabetes,” said Patrick Archdeacon, from the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Mounjaro falls in a new class of drug treatments for diabetes developed to mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is naturally released by the intestines and known to regulate blood sugar and appetite. The first drug targeting this GLP-1 mechanism, called Wegovy, was approved for type 2 diabetes back in 2017.

See Also:

Ukraine has sent images of dead Russian soldiers to families in Russia – CNN (video)

This new drug works slightly differently to Wegovy. It has been designed to mimic GLP-1 and another gut hormone called gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP). Clinical trials have found the dual action GLP-1 and GIP agonist can be more effective as a type 2 diabetes treatment than therapies solely targeting GLP-1.

Read more: New Atlas