Senator John Fetterman admitted to using weight loss drug Mounjaro and has issued a plea about the ‘game changer’ medication.
Fetterman, a democrat from Pennsylvania, said this week that he started using weight loss drug Mounjaro, a competitor to Ozempic, last summer.
Though the 6-foot-8 senator lost 20 pounds on the shot, slimming down wasn’t his goal.
After suffering a stroke in 2022, the senator ‘was interested in studies showing [Mounjaro] could significantly reduce the risk of major cardiac events.’
‘Even though I started taking it for my heart health, I’ve been struck by how much better it has made me feel across the board,’ Fetterman said.
He added aches and pains ‘have vanished’ and that he feels ‘a decade younger, clearer-headed, and more optimistic’ than he had for years.
Fetterman said: ‘And it’s not just me — millions of Americans have experienced similar life-changing benefits, regardless of why they started on these medications.’
However, he noted drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic are ‘prohibitively expensive’ without insurance, costing as much as $1,000 every month.
Senator John Fetterman (pictured at left in 2023 and at right last month), a democrat from Pennsylvania, wrote in a New York Times op-ed this week that he used Mounjaro to prevent heart attacks and stroke. He also lost 20 pounds. He is now urging lawmakers to make it more accessible to Americans
Mounjaro is a GLP-1 medication that uses the active ingredient tirzepatide and is FDA approved for type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown it may prevent worsening heart disease as well
The senator urged President Trump to reverse his decision to pull a Biden-era proposal that would have made GLP-1 medications more affordable for over 7million Americans, calling the decision ‘a mistake.’
He also called on health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr not to ‘prioritize healthier diets over medication,’ as he has proposed restricting access to weight loss drugs.
Fetterman wrote in a New York Times op-ed: ‘These drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, can be a game changer. I know firsthand.
‘It should be simple: Our government should be in the business of making lifesaving medication accessible and affordable,’ he added.
Currently, about one in eight Americans reporting using GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic.
Mounjaro, which uses the active ingredient tirzepatide, is FDA approved for type 2 diabetes.
A newer version of the drug, Zepbound, which uses the same active ingredient, was approved in 2023 for weight loss.
Wegovy, which uses semaglutide, is the only GLP-1 shot FDA approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, though Mounjaro has shown promise in recent studies.
Last year, tirzepatide manufacturer Eli Lilly announced phase three trials of the drug in adults with heart failure and obesity showed a ‘reduction in the risk of heart failure outcomes’ and ‘improvements in heart failure symptoms and physical limitations.’
And findings unveiled by the American Heart Association last year found tirzepatide cut the risk of death or worsening illness in patients with heart failure by more than a third.
Experts believe this is through weight loss and reducing inflammation throughout the body.
Chronic inflammation damages blood vessels, resulting in conditions like plaque buildup – atherosclerosis – which makes the heart work harder and increases the risk of heart damage.
Fetterman wrote: ‘I’ve been struck by how much better [Mounjaro] has made me feel across the board. It’s made a significant impact on my overall health. Aches, pains and stiffness have vanished.
‘Physically, I feel a decade younger, clearer-headed, and more optimistic than I’ve been in years. As far as a side effects, I’ve also lost around 20 pounds.’
He also insisted he is not being paid by Eli Lilly or any other agencies to speak out about his experience.
He said: ‘I’m just a guy who has benefitted from these medications and wants to make sure that anyone else who could benefit from that can access them too.’
The senator warned drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic are only covered by government health insurance plans like Medicare and Medicaid ‘under specific circumstances, such as for diabetes or heightened heart risk.’
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr (pictured here) has slammed the use of medications like Mounjaro and promoted diet and exercise instead as part of his Make America Healthy Again plan
Last November, the Biden administration proposed a new rule that would make weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic free to obese Americans on Medicare or Medicaid.
Fetterman wrote: ‘This rule would have expanded coverage for an estimated 3.4 million Americans who use Medicare and four million more on Medicaid, reducing out-of-pocket costs by as much as 95 percent.
‘It was a great idea and exactly what our government should be focused on: bringing down costs for the American people.
‘Even beyond a cost-benefit analysis, this is about improving the quality of life for Americans.’
However, it was projected to cost the government around $35billion over a decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
The idea clashed with RFK Jr and Trump’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) plan, which emphasizes diet and exercise over prescription medications to lower chronic disease rates.
Last year, Kennedy slammed Biden’s proposed measure and said the $1,600 per month the drugs cost the government would be better suited for supplying balanced and healthy meals to American families.
He said: ‘If we spend about one fifth of that giving good food, three meals a day, to every man, woman, and child in our country, we could solve the obesity and diabetes epidemic overnight.’
Currently, about 40 percent of Americans are obese and 38million have diabetes.
Fetterman criticized RFK Jr and insisted ‘diet alone isn’t enough’ to lower obesity and diabetes rates.
‘For the millions of Americans struggling with serious health issues, medication can be a crucial first step to regaining enough control of their health to begin making meaningful lifestyle changes,’ he wrote.
The senator added: ‘If Mr Trump and Mr Kennedy are truly committed to making America healthy again, we need real tools like these.
‘I ask the Trump administration and Mr. Kennedy to reverse course and put this rule into place.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .