TUESDAY, June 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Once-weekly tirzepatide provides substantial and clinically meaningful reductions in body weight in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes, according to a study published online June 26 in the The Lancet to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association, held from June 23 to 26 in San Diego.
W. Timothy Garvey, M.D., from the UAB Diabetes Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide versus placebo for weight management for people with obesity and type 2 diabetes in a phase 3 trial conducted in seven countries. Adults with a body mass index of 27 kg/m2 or higher and glycated hemoglobin of 7 to 10 percent were randomly assigned to receive once-weekly, subcutaneous tirzepatide (10 or 15 mg) or placebo for 72 weeks (312, 311, and 315, respectively).
The researchers found that the least-squares mean change in bodyweight at week 72 was −12.8, −14.7, and −3.2 percent, respectively, with tirzepatide 10 mg and 15 mg, and placebo. Bodyweight reduction thresholds of 5 percent or higher were met by more participants treated with tirzepatide versus placebo (79 to 83 percent versus 32 percent). Gastrointestinal-related adverse events were the most frequent adverse events reported with tirzepatide, and included nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting; most were mild to moderate in severity, and few led to treatment discontinuation (<5 percent).
"We are encouraged by these weight loss and glycemic control results, especially as weight loss interventions are typically less effective in patients in diabetes," Garvey said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly, which manufactures tirzepatide and funded the study.
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