Overview
- Stiftung Warentest, which released its review Thursday, named tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Wegovy) the only suitable choices among 17 approved weight‑loss medicines in Germany.
- Tirzepatide showed the strongest effect with about 13% to 19% weight loss after one year and results holding close to that at three years, while semaglutide averaged about 9% to 12% at one year with stability at two years.
- Both weekly injections mimic gut hormones that signal fullness and lower blood sugar, and early treatment often brings nausea, fullness, dizziness, or headaches with rare gallbladder or pancreas inflammation.
- Liraglutide (Saxenda) and orlistat were judged less suitable, delivering only about 4% to 5% after a year for liraglutide and 2% to 4% after two years for orlistat, with more severe side effects and therapy dropouts seen with liraglutide.
- Patients typically pay out of pocket because statutory insurers do not cover these drugs, and use should follow BMI‑based prescribing with medical oversight as consumer groups warn that online pathways can enable improper access.