Those on tirzepatide dropped a higher proportion of their body weight than those on semaglutide.
It seemed that Zepbound had an advantage over Wegovy because it was licensed for weight loss in late 2023. After 68 weeks, individuals on Wegovy lost about 15% of their body weight, while patients on the highest dose of Zepbound lost about 21% over the course of 72 weeks.
However, it was challenging to draw a clear comparison in the absence of a trial that examined both treatments, which are members of the recently developed GLP-1 class of pharmaceuticals.
“We have observed significant increases in GLP-1 use over the past year, but there is a dearth of data on head-to-head comparisons,” stated Tricia Rodriguez, the primary study author and principal applied scientist at Truveta Research, a provider of health care data and analytics.
More than 41,000 persons who were overweight or obese and had received a first prescription for one of the two medications had their electronic health data examined by Rodriguez and colleagues for the current study. Type 2 diabetes did not exclude participants. Seraglide was prescribed to more than 32,000 patients, and tirzepatide to more than 9,100 patients.
The patients’ weight loss at three, six, and twelve months was examined by the researchers.
After using semaglutide for three months, six months, and twelve months, the average weight loss for the participants was 3.6%, 5.8%, and 8.3%, respectively.
Compared to those who took semaglutide, those who took tirzepatide lost a higher percentage of body weight each month: 5.9% on average after three months, 10.1% after six months, and 15.3% after twelve months.
The majority of patients taking both drugs lost weight in a way that was clinically significant, whereas tirzepatide users lost noticeably more weight, according to Rodriguez.
According to Rodriguez, the researchers found no discernible difference in the two medications’ risks of major adverse effects, such as gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis.
Tirzepatide and semaglutide function similarly. The GLP-1 medications resemble a hormone that aids in lowering appetite and food consumption. Tirzepatide, however, also mimics the GIP hormone, which is also believed to enhance the body’s ability to break down sugar and fat in addition to decreasing appetite.
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It will still take a randomized, controlled clinical trial for researchers to determine which drug is best. Lilly started a phase 3 trial with 700 patients last year to compare the two drugs. ClinicalTrials.gov states that the trial should be finished in November.
Novo Nordisk representative: The current study has several “key limitations,” such as the participation of individuals with Type 2 diabetes, who frequently struggle more with weight loss than those without the illness. Furthermore, there was insufficient information in the study on the initial and increased doses that the patients were on.
“Choosing a treatment should take other needs into account, even though reducing body weight is a key goal of obesity management,” the representative stated.
An inquiry for comment from Eli Lilly was not immediately answered.
Endocrinologist Dr. Susan Spratt, senior medical director of Duke Health’s Population Health Management Office in North Carolina, stated that although the study clearly shows tirzepatide to be more effective, both medications are still good choices for patients because they offer greater weight loss than other currently available medications.
She added that additional research is required to compare the effects on health outcomes other than weight loss.
Tirzepatide has been demonstrated to be a potential treatment for obstructive sleep apnea; semaglutide, for instance, has been shown in trials to reduce the risk of complications from kidney disease in people with Type 2 diabetes and to lower the risk of cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack and stroke, in people who are overweight or obese.
That being said, Spratt suggested tirzepatide if someone’s primary objective was weight loss.
The study backs up earlier findings that tirzepatide causes greater weight reduction than semaglutide, according to Dr. Daniel Maselli, an obesity medicine specialist at True You Weight reduction, an Atlanta weight loss clinic.
Although this is crucial information for doctors, he pointed out that there are other factors he takes into account when recommending weight-loss medications to patients.
In addition, he considers the patient’s medical needs, such as enhancing heart health, personal objectives, and drug tolerance. For example, some people may not respond well to tirzepatide but may have weight loss when using semaglutide.
He said in an email that while the study addressed the weight loss aspect, it was unable to identify any variations in tolerance, safety, or improvements in obesity-related problems.
source : NBC NEWS
