Tirzepatide Trial: Every Trial, Results in Plain English
The biggest average body weight lost in the tirzepatide trials: 20.9% on tirzepatide 15 mg weekly in SURMOUNT-1, against 3.1% on placebo.
- Major trials here
- 8
- Top average loss
- 20.9%
- Placebo, same trial
- 3.1%
- Biggest A1C drop
- 2.3 points
Zepbound in brief
Its half-life is 5 to 6 days: after 5.5 d half is gone, and after five half-lives (27.5 d) about 3% is left.
In SURMOUNT-1 over 72 weeks, body weight fell 20.9%, against 3.1% on placebo.
US dollars set the units for monthly price points. The maker's price page gives the list price and self-pay offers.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), Eli Lilly 1 2, cnbc.com.
Every trial in a single table
Every trial name links to its ClinicalTrials.gov record.
| Trial | Who was in it | People | Weeks | Compared with | Main result | In the label as | NCT number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SURMOUNT-1 | Adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes | 2,539 | 72 | placebo | 20.9% weight lost | Study 1 in the Zepbound label | NCT04184622 |
| SURMOUNT-2 | Adults with obesity or overweight who also had type 2 diabetes | 938 | 72 | placebo | 14.7% weight lost | Study 2 in the Zepbound label | NCT04657003 |
| SURMOUNT-5 | Adults with obesity, without type 2 diabetes | 751 | 72 | semaglutide (Wegovy) | 20.2% weight lost | Not listed | NCT05822830 |
| SURPASS-2 | Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin | 1,879 | 40 | semaglutide 1 mg (Ozempic) | A1C 2.3 points lower | Not listed | NCT03987919 |
| SURPASS-1 | Adults with type 2 diabetes who relied on diet and exercise alone | 478 | 40 | placebo | A1C 2.07 points lower | Not listed | NCT03954834 |
| SURPASS-CVOT | Adults with type 2 diabetes and heart or blood vessel disease | 13,299 | Not listed | dulaglutide 1.5 mg (Trulicity) | Heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease | Not listed | NCT04255433 |
| SURMOUNT-OSA | Adults with obesity and a moderate-to-severe form of obstructive sleep apnea | Not listed | 52 | placebo | Breathing pauses per hour of sleep (AHI) | Not listed | NCT05412004 |
| SUMMIT | Adults with obesity who have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction | Not listed | 104 | placebo | Death from heart causes or worsening heart failure | Not listed | NCT04847557 |
Body weight lost in the tirzepatide trials
By the end of each trial, participants had lost an average share of body weight. Because each trial enrolled a different group of people, compare doses inside one trial first.
| Trial | Dose group | Average weight lost | Placebo or comparison | Weeks | Who was in it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SURMOUNT-1 | Tirzepatide 5 mg weekly | 15% | 3.1% | 72 | Adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes |
| SURMOUNT-1 | Tirzepatide 10 mg weekly | 19.5% | 3.1% | 72 | Adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes |
| SURMOUNT-1 | Tirzepatide 15 mg weekly | 20.9% | 3.1% | 72 | Adults with obesity or overweight, without diabetes |
| SURMOUNT-2 | Tirzepatide 10 mg weekly | 12.8% | 3.2% | 72 | Adults with obesity or overweight who also had type 2 diabetes |
| SURMOUNT-2 | Tirzepatide 15 mg weekly | 14.7% | 3.2% | 72 | Adults with obesity or overweight who also had type 2 diabetes |
| SURMOUNT-5 | Tirzepatide 10 or 15 mg weekly (Zepbound) | 20.2% | semaglutide (Wegovy) | 72 | Adults with obesity, without type 2 diabetes |
Sources: SURMOUNT-1 (FDA label (DailyMed)), SURMOUNT-2 (PubMed), SURMOUNT-5 (PubMed).
A1C results in the tirzepatide diabetes trials
| Trial | Dose group | A1C change | Placebo or comparison | Weeks | Who was in it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SURPASS-2 | Tirzepatide 5 mg weekly | 2.01 points lower | semaglutide 1 mg (Ozempic) | 40 | Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin |
| SURPASS-2 | Tirzepatide 10 mg weekly | 2.24 points lower | semaglutide 1 mg (Ozempic) | 40 | Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin |
| SURPASS-2 | Tirzepatide 15 mg weekly | 2.3 points lower | semaglutide 1 mg (Ozempic) | 40 | Adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin |
| SURPASS-1 | Tirzepatide 5 mg weekly | 1.87 points lower | Not listed | 40 | Adults with type 2 diabetes who relied on diet and exercise alone |
| SURPASS-1 | Tirzepatide 10 mg weekly | 1.89 points lower | Not listed | 40 | Adults with type 2 diabetes who relied on diet and exercise alone |
| SURPASS-1 | Tirzepatide 15 mg weekly | 2.07 points lower | Not listed | 40 | Adults with type 2 diabetes who relied on diet and exercise alone |
Sources: SURPASS-2 (PubMed), SURPASS-1 (PubMed).
Outcome trials on the heart, kidney and more
| Trial | What it measured | Result | Compared with | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SURPASS-CVOT | Heart attack, stroke or death from heart disease | 12.2% vs 13.1% 8% lower risk | dulaglutide 1.5 mg (Trulicity) | Not listed |
| SURMOUNT-OSA | Breathing pauses per hour of sleep (AHI) | in trial 1 (no CPAP) (Tirzepatide), breathing pauses each hour fell by 25.3. Trial 2 (on CPAP) (Tirzepatide) had 29.3 fewer pauses each hour | Placebo | 52 weeks |
| SUMMIT | Death from heart causes or worsening heart failure | 9.9% vs 15.3% 38% lower risk | Placebo | 104 weeks (median follow-up) |
The source studies are SURPASS-CVOT (PubMed) and SUMMIT (PubMed).
Safety signals
| Trial | Dose group | What happened | Drug | Placebo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SURMOUNT-1 | Tirzepatide 5 mg weekly | Stopped for side effects | 4.3% | 2.6% |
| SURMOUNT-1 | Tirzepatide 10 mg weekly | Stopped for side effects | 7.1% | 2.6% |
| SURMOUNT-1 | Tirzepatide 15 mg weekly | Stopped for side effects | 6.2% | 2.6% |
| SUMMIT | Tirzepatide weekly | Stopped for side effects | 6.3% | 1.4% |
Serious risks covered by a warning in the Mounjaro label:
- Boxed warning, Thyroid C-cell tumors. Whether it causes the same tumors in people remains unknown. Do not use it if medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) appears in your own or your family's medical history, or if you have MEN 2.
- Pancreas inflammation It can cause inflammation of the pancreas. Severe stomach pain that persists and sometimes reaches the back requires you to stop the medicine and seek care.
- Low blood sugar. Taking insulin or a sulfonylurea with this medicine raises the risk of low blood sugar, so those doses may need to be lowered.
- Serious allergic reactions Reports of serious allergic reactions include cases with swelling affecting the face, lips or throat Get help right away and stop taking it if these reactions happen.
- Fluid loss can cause kidney injury. Losing fluid through vomiting or diarrhea can result in kidney injury. Report heavy fluid loss. Drink fluids.
- Severe stomach and gut reactions. Side effects affecting the stomach and gut are common and may be severe This is not recommended if you have severe gastroparesis.
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).
Trials of tirzepatide recruiting now
Find recruiting tirzepatide trials on ClinicalTrials.gov. Choose your state to filter the results. Then discuss travel and costs with the study team.