Tirzepatide a valuable therapeutic option for weight management

Treatment with tirzepatide, a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes, leads to substantial reductions in weight despite an increase in gastrointestinal symptoms, according to the results of a meta-analysis.

Researchers searched multiple online databases for studies in which tirzepatide was compared with placebo in terms of the coprimary endpoints of absolute and percent change in weight. Mean difference (MD) and odds ratio (OR) were estimated for continuous and binary outcomes, respectively. Cochrane was used to evaluate the risk of bias.

The initial search yielded 397 articles, of which six were included in the meta-analysis. The included studies involved 4,036 participants, with the study duration ranging from 12 to 72 weeks.

Pooled data showed that tirzepatide 5, 10, and 15 mg were superior to placebo in terms of reducing body weight (MD, −7.7 kg, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] −11.0 to −4.4; p<0.001; MD, −11.6 kg, 95 percent CI −18.8 to −4.3; p=0.002, and MD, −11.8 kg, 95 percent CI, −17.4 to –6.2; p<0.001, respectively). The corresponding MD in percent change in weight was −8.1 percent (95 percent CI, −11.0 to −5.2; p<0.001), −11.9 percent (95 percent CI, −18.1 to −5.6; p<0.001), and –12.4 percent (95 percent CI, −17.2 to −7.5; p<0.001).

In addition, significant decreases in body mass index and waist circumference were observed among tirzepatide-treated participants.

As for safety, adverse events (AEs) occurred more frequently with tirzepatide than with placebo. The most common AEs with 15-mg tirzepatide were nausea (OR, 4.2. 95 percent CI, 2.4–7.5; p<0.001), vomiting (OR, 7.0, 95 percent CI, 4.3–11.4; p<0.001), and diarrhoea (OR, 2.8, 95 percent CI, 1.6–4.9; p<0.001).