CNN
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Individuals taking tirzepatide injections misplaced extra weight and had been extra more likely to attain particular weight reduction targets than these taking semaglutide, in keeping with a brand new study.
Researchers from Truveta, a well being knowledge analytics firm, analyzed digital well being data for greater than 18,000 adults, all of whom had obese or weight problems, who had been taking these medicines in the actual world between Could 2022 and September 2023. The findings had been printed Monday within the JAMA Inner Medication medical journal.
Each medicines had been efficient — the overwhelming majority of individuals taking both tirzepatide or semaglutide misplaced a minimum of 5% of their beginning physique weight after one 12 months of use. However 82% of individuals taking tirzepatide reached this essential scientific benchmark, in contrast with about 67% of these taking semaglutide. And other people taking tirzepatide had been greater than twice as more likely to lose a minimum of 15% of their beginning weight than these taking semaglutide — about 42% in contrast with 18% after one 12 months of use.
Common weight reduction was additionally persistently greater amongst these taking tirzepatide over time. After three months, folks taking tirzepatide had misplaced about 5% of their physique weight, on common, in comparison with a mean 3% loss amongst these taking semaglutide. At six months, common weight reduction was 8% on tirzepatide and 5% on semaglutide. And by one 12 months, common weight reduction was practically double for these taking tirzepatide — greater than 11%, in contrast with about 6% for these taking semaglutide.
Tirzepatide and semaglutide each mimic the results of the intestine hormone GLP-1, which stimulates the physique’s manufacturing of insulin and slows the passage of meals by the abdomen. GLP-1 additionally indicators the mind to assist management urge for food. Tirzepatide additionally stimulates a second intestine hormone, referred to as GIP, which can assist enhance its results.
The US Meals and Drug Administration has authorised variations of tirzepatide and semaglutide to deal with each sort 2 diabetes and weight problems. Eli Lilly manufactures tirzepatide underneath the model title Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for continual weight administration, whereas Novo Nordisk producers semaglutide as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight administration.
The FDA authorised greater doses of each tirzepatide and semaglutide to deal with weight reduction, however the brand new examine solely appeared on the doses to deal with sort 2 diabetes.
About half of the individuals who had been included on this examine had sort 2 diabetes, whereas the opposite half had no indication of a diabetes prognosis of their well being data and had been probably taking these medicines off-label for weight administration at their physician’s discretion.
When the findings from this examine had been first launched in a preprint final 12 months, Novo Nordisk advised CNN that it wasn’t a good comparability.
“The doses of semaglutide evaluated on this evaluation haven’t been investigated for continual weight administration, and there aren’t any head-to-head trials which have reported which consider Wegovy and tirzepatide,” a spokesperson stated in an announcement.
In response to the brand new examine, people with sort 2 diabetes had much less vital weight reduction than these and not using a prognosis — however common weight reduction was nonetheless better amongst these taking tirzepatide.
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The researchers didn’t monitor delicate gastrointestinal uncomfortable side effects equivalent to nausea and vomiting, noting that most of these complaints won’t be captured in affected person data persistently. However the danger of extra severe adversarial outcomes — equivalent to bowel obstruction, gasteoparesis or pancreatitis — had been discovered to be comparable amongst these taking tirzepatide and semaglutide.
Together with uncomfortable side effects, individuals who didn’t drop a few pounds whereas taking these medicines could also be extra more likely to cease or change medication, the researchers say. Discontinuation was frequent — greater than half of sufferers stopped their therapy earlier than the tip of the examine — however charges had been comparable amongst these taking tirzepatide and people taking semaglutide.
The findings from this examine align with scientific trial outcomes, however the examine authors observe that extra analysis is required to check the results that tirzepatide and semaglutide have on different key well being outcomes, equivalent to heart-related occasions.
CNN’s Brenda Goodman contributed to this report.
