New diabetes drug also aids weight loss, Yale study shows
NEW HAVEN — A new drug available for the treatment of type 2 diabetes has been shown in a new study to help people lose a substantial amount of weight.
In the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people lost as much as one-fifth of their body weight on the highest dose of the drug, tirzepatide, or an average of 52 pounds, according to the paper.
Dr. Ania Jastreboff, codirector of the Yale Center for Weight Management, is lead author and presented the findings at an American Diabetes Association conference in New Orleans. A previous trial showed tirzepatide was effective in treating type 2 diabetes and also showed participants lost weight.
“The SURMOUNT-1 trial ... included individuals with obesity without type 2 diabetes,” Jastreboff said. “It had 2,539 participants. They were randomized to four groups.” The groups received 5, 10 or 15 mg doses of tirzepatide or a placebo. “All these groups also included diet and physical activity counseling,” she said.
In the trial, participants
injected themselves with the drug, sold by Eli Lilly & Co. as Mounjaro, for 72 weeks. “The average weight reduction for participants with obesity who took tirzepatide was 35 to 52 pounds,” depending on the dose, Jastreboff said.
Also, about 90 percent of participants achieved a targeted weight loss of at least 5 percent, with 36 percent reaching a weight loss target of 25 percent, according to the study.
“Losing 5 percent or more, you have benefits to metabolic health,” such as a lower risk of developing diabetes, she said. “The idea is that when you lose more weight, you attain more clinical benefits. There are things that might require more weight reduction to improve health.” So having 36 percent of people meet at least 25 percent of their weight loss goal “is a significant result,” she said.
“The take-homes are that all three doses of tirzepatide demonstrated substantial, clinically meaningful and sustained body weight reduction compared to placebo,” Jastreboff said.
Maggie Pfeiffer, a spokeswoman for Lilly, said Mounjaro is available now for treatment of type 2 diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration approved it for that disease in May. The drug reduced study participants’ A1c levels between 1.7 and 2.4 percentage points, depending on the dose.
A1c is a measure of blood sugar, averaged over three months, and is a key indicator for diabetes. Jastreboff said an A1c level of 6.5 or higher is considered diabetic and 5.7 to 6.4 is considered pre-diabetic.
Participants in the diabetes study, called SURPASS, also lost weight, leading to the SURMOUNT studies. Jastreboff was not involved in the SURPASS study.
The SURMOUNT-1 trial included people 18 and older who were obese but not diabetic. They had a body mass index of 30 or higher or a BMI 27 or higher “with one weight-related condition,” such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, but not diabetes, she said.
Further SURMOUNT trials include people who are both obese and diabetic.