- The anti-obesity drug Zepbound (tirzepatide) causes significant weight loss, even in people with multiple obesity-related health problems, according to a new study.
- Research challenges the idea that people with chronic health problems linked to obesity lose less weight than healthier people.
- The results suggest that tirzepatide is effective regardless of the number of obesity-associated diseases a person may have.
Obesity is known to cause or worsen
In a new study, researchers wanted to know if having more obesity-related diseases would lead to less weight loss.
The results suggest that medical conditions associated with obesity do not affect the total weight loss achieved with the anti-obesity drug Zepbound (tirzepatide).
The research, funded by tirzepatide maker Eli Lilly, was presented June 1 at ENDO 2024, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston, MA. The research has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
In this new study, researchers found that tirzepatide treatment led to significant weight loss, regardless of the number of obesity-related complications patients had at the start of the study.
Researchers analyzed data from four different trials that varied in design and patient characteristics but included a total of 4,726 subjects who were obese (BMI greater than 30) or overweight (BMI at least 27 ) with a health problem linked to obesity. Among them, 938 subjects in one trial had type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Weight loss in the tirzepatide groups was categorized by the number of obesity-related conditions (none, one, or two or more) and compared to those who received a placebo.
As expected, older participants or those with a longer history of obesity had more obesity-related comorbidities.
Regardless of the presence of other obesity-related conditions, participants treated with tirzepatide experienced a greater reduction in body weight than those given a placebo.
Lead author Sriram Machineni, MD, associate professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, explained the key findings at Medical news today:
“Weight loss with Tirzepatide in patients with multiple medical problems, such as hypertension, sleep apnea, liver disease, etc., is no different than in those who do not have no medical problems aside from obesity.”
Mir Ali, MD, a board-certified bariatric surgeon and medical director of the Memorial Care Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., was not involved in the study, said MNT “This research confirms what we have observed in our bariatric surgery patients. »
“Weight loss is independent of other comorbid conditions. In fact, it is the opposite, in that weight loss leads to improvement in other comorbid conditions. Furthermore, this study shows that these new drugs are much more effective than those available to us in the past.
— Mir Ali, MD, bariatric surgeon
Tirzepatides was
Marketed under the trade name Zepbound, the medication is prescribed for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight and at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol levels.
Administered as a subcutaneous injection once a week, tirzepatide effectively lowers blood sugar levels and promotes weight loss better than current treatments.
The most common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which tend to lessen over time.
Tirzepatide belongs to a new class of diabetes drugs as a glucose-dependent dual insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and GLP-1 receptor agonist. GLP-1 and GIP are incretin hormones released by the intestines when we eat.
Incretins stimulate the secretion of insulin by the beta cells of the pancreas. GLP-1 improves the release of insulin from the pancreas and reduces levels of glucagon, a hormone that prevents excessive drops in blood sugar. It also increases the number and size of beta cells, promotes a feeling of fullness by delaying stomach emptying, and controls appetite through the brain.
Likewise, GIP stimulates insulin release, enhances beta cell production, and reduces beta cell destruction. GIP also decreases fat accumulation, promotes bone formation, increases glucagon production, and reduces stomach acid secretion.
People with type 2 diabetes have a weaker response to incretin hormones. Tirzepatide addresses this problem by activating GLP-1 and GIP receptors in the body.
The results of this new study are promising for people with multiple health conditions, but GLP-1 drugs like Zepbound are already in short supply.
Machineni emphasized that “tirzepatide, which is now approved and available for the treatment of obesity, is beneficial for patients, regardless of the number of complications they may have already developed.”
Ali agreed, adding “a wider range of patients can benefit from these drugs.” Unfortunately, this could mean a growing shortage of these drugs, as we are currently seeing..”
Jared L. Ross, DO, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Missouri, also not involved in the research, emphasized that “the results of this study should be taken in context because they were funded by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of tirzepatide. .”
“Additionally, the lead author has received significant financial support from the pharmaceutical company in recent years, made public in the Open Payments database as a result of the Sunshine Act,” Ross added. “That aside, the results are not unexpected.”
“A large majority of obese patients likely have these comorbid complications, and whether or not they are aware of these conditions likely depends more on their access to primary care and not their underlying health conditions,” Ross noted .
“Tirzepatide is approved to treat both type 2 diabetes and obesity, likely via the same mechanism underlying metabolic syndrome. There is no reason to suspect that a drug targeting a mechanism that may cause both comorbid conditions would be less effective in a patient with both disease processes. Additionally, the study results are somewhat limited by the fact that obesity-related complications were determined by the participants themselves.
— Jared L. Ross, DO, professor of emergency medicine