US scientists have found different weight loss results between genders in people taking tirzepatide, a once-weekly GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist used for significant weight reduction in adults with obesity.
A new analysis across all doses of the SURMOUNT clinical trials (supported by Eli Lilly and reported in The New England Journal of Medicine) revealed tirzepatide – administered as a once-weekly injection – resulted in women losing up to 24.6% of their body weight compared to 18.1% in men.
Recent studies have shown drugs targeting specific hormones involved in energy balance, such as GLP-1, can help people lose weight effectively and safely. Another hormone GIP also plays a role in controlling weight – and a combination treatment that targets both GIP and GLP-1 receptors may be even more effective.
Tirzepatide works on both GIP and GLP-1 receptors and is already approved for treating type 2 diabetes. Early research showed it helped mice lose more weight compared to treatments that only target GLP-1.
To explore potential differences in how men and women respond to the treatment, researchers conducted a post-hoc analysis of the SURMOUNT program, which included four clinical trials.
Their findings, presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid in September, compared tirzepatide to a placebo over 72-88 weeks in 4,677 adults (2,999 women and 1,678 men) with obesity.
Lead author Dr Luis-Emilio Garcia-Perez told medicalnewstoday.com, ‘Data analysis of the SURMOUNT-1, SURMOUNT-2, SURMOUNT-3 and SURMOUNT-4 phase 3 trials showed tirzepatide injections (5mg, 10mg, 15mg) significantly reduced body weight compared to placebo regardless of sex, with greater body weight reduction associated with tirzepatide in females compared to males.’
When looking at specific weight-loss thresholds, both men and women were far more likely to achieve reductions of 5%, 10% and 15% body weight with tirzepatide compared to placebo; however, in most trials, there was no significant difference between men and women in reaching these thresholds.
The safety outcomes were generally similar for both men and women, though women reported higher rates of nausea and vomiting compared to men.
