DKSH Singapore Launches Mounjaro® (Tirzepatide) KwikPen® for Diabetes and Obesity Management

DKSH Singapore has announced the availability of Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) KwikPen®, an innovative prescription medicine developed by Eli Lilly and Company, now launched in Singapore. Approved by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) earlier this year, the once-weekly injection is the first treatment to act on both glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors, showing significant weight loss and improved glucose control in clinical trials.

Meeting Singapore’s Health Priorities

The medicine addresses two of Singapore’s pressing health challenges: diabetes and obesity. According to the National Population Health Survey 2022, diabetes affects 8.6% of residents, while obesity prevalence has risen from 8.6% in 2017 to 11.6% in 2022.

Mounjaro Kwikpen Press Release. Both conditions are closely linked, with obesity recognised as a key driver of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Singapore’s Ministry of Health has declared diabetes a national health priority under the “War on Diabetes” campaign, while also highlighting obesity as a critical modifiable risk factor.

While lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise remain essential, long-term management often requires adjunctive therapies like tirzepatide.

Clinical Impact of Tirzepatide

Clinical studies have shown that tirzepatide can help patients achieve meaningful weight reduction and improved blood glucose levels:

• Weight loss and maintenance: Trials demonstrate sustainable weight reduction when tirzepatide is continued long-term.

• Dual efficacy: As both a GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, tirzepatide helps regulate appetite, metabolism, and insulin response.

• Indications: It is prescribed for adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes (alone or with other medicines), as well as for weight management in those with obesity (BMI ≥30) or overweight (BMI ≥27) with related conditions such as hypertension, sleep apnea, or prediabetes.

Expert Perspectives

Dr. Tham Kwang Wei, President of the Singapore Association for the Study of Obesity, emphasised that obesity should be recognised and managed as a chronic disease. She highlighted the importance of tackling underlying biological mechanisms, not just lifestyle choices, to reduce the impact of complications such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Patient Safety and Access

To ensure safety, patients should only use HSA-approved Mounjaro® KwikPen® distributed via authorised channels. Counterfeit or unregistered versions may pose serious health risks.

References:

1. Jastreboff, A. M., Aronne, L. J., Ahmad, N. N., Wharton, S., Connery, L., Alves, B., Kiyosue, A., Zhang, S., Liu, B., Bunck, M. C., & Stefanski, A. (2022). Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity. New England Journal of Medicine, 387(3), 205–216. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038
2. Frías, J. P., Davies, M. J., Rosenstock, J., Pérez Manghi, F. C., Fernández Landó, L., Bergman, B. K., Liu, B., Zhang, S., Kiyosue, A., & Min, K. W. (2023). Tirzepatide versus placebo in adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity (SURMOUNT-2): A randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial. The Lancet, 402(10397), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01200-X
3. Rubino, D., Greenway, F. L., Khalid, U., Wadden, T. A., Skovgaard, D., Zhang, S., Kiyosue, A., Liu, B., & O’Neil, P. M. (2023). Tirzepatide after intensive lifestyle intervention in adults with obesity. Nature Medicine, 29(11), 2622–2630. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02597-2
4. Rubino, D., Wadden, T. A., Khalid, U., Greenway, F. L., Skovgaard, D., Zhang, S., Kiyosue, A., Liu, B., & O’Neil, P. M. (2024). Continued treatment with tirzepatide for maintenance of weight reduction: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 331(1), 38–49. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.23939
5. Jastreboff, A. M., Aronne, L. J., Ahmad, N. N., Wharton, S., Kiyosue, A., Zhang, S., Liu, B., Bunck, M. C., & Stefanski, A. (2024). Tirzepatide versus semaglutide for the treatment of obesity. New England Journal of Medicine, 390(11), 1023–1035. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2416394
6. Mounjaro® KwikPen® Singapore Product Insert (Date of Revision of Text: 10 June 2025)
7. https://www.hsa.gov.sg/announcements/new-drug-approval/new-drug-approvals—june-2025
8. Ministry of Health (MOH), Singapore; Health Promotion Board. National Population Health Survey2022: Household Interview and Health Examination. Epidemiology & Disease Control Division and Policy, Research & Surveillance Group. Singapore. https://www.hpb.gov.sg/docs/default- source/default-document-library/nphs-2022-survey-report.pdf
9. Ng, R. R., & Yoong, J. (2022). Singapore’s “War on Diabetes”. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 10(6), 353–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(22)00133-4

Images: DKSH Singapore (header) and Envato