MONDAY, July 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Tirzepatide is associated with significantly greater weight loss than semaglutide for adults with overweight or obesity, according to a study published online July 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Patricia J. Rodriguez, Ph.D., from Truveta Inc. in Bellevue, Washington, and colleagues compared on-treatment weight loss and rates of gastrointestinal adverse events among adults with overweight or obesity receiving tirzepatide or semaglutide labeled for type 2 diabetes. After propensity score matching, 18,386 adults were included in the study.
The researchers found that participants receiving tirzepatide were significantly more likely to achieve weight loss than those receiving semaglutide (≥5, ≥10, and ≥15 percent weight loss hazard ratios: 1.76, 2.54, and 3.24, respectively). For patients receiving tirzepatide, on-treatment changes in weight were larger at three, six, and 12 months (differences, −2.4, −4.3, and −6.9 percent, respectively). The groups had similar rates of gastrointestinal adverse events.
"Individuals with overweight or obesity treated with tirzepatide were significantly more likely to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss and larger reductions in body weight compared with those treated with semaglutide," the authors write. "Consistent treatment effect estimates were observed in subgroups with and without type 2 diabetes."