DIABETES
Tirzepatide outperforms semaglutide in weight-loss trial
The first head-to-head study of its kind found the dual agonist GIP-1/GLP-1 to be superior to the GLP-1 for weight loss in adults with obesity but without type 2 diabetes
June 20, 2025
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Tirzepatide produced significantly greater weight loss and reduction in waist circumference than semaglutide in adults with obesity but without type 2 diabetes over 72 weeks in a recent phase 3b, open-label, randomised controlled trial.The SURMOUNT-5 trial showed that patients treated with tirzepatide vs semaglutide lost an average of 20.2% vs 13.7% of their baseline weight over the 72 weeks.Nearly twice as many participants achieved a target of ≥ 25% weight reduction on tirzepatide vs semaglutide.While both drugs have demonstrated significant weight-loss effects in previous trials, this is the first study directly comparing the dual agonist GIP-1/GLP-1 tirzepatide with GLP-1 semaglutide.The results suggest tirzepatide’s dual action on both GIP and GLP-1 receptors yields superior outcomes in weight reduction and waist circumference.Both tirzepatide and semaglutide are approved for chronic weight management, although clinicians have lacked comparative data to guide prescribing choices between them.The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine recently.