In a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine , researchers compared the weight loss and gastrointestinal adverse event rates for obese or overweight adults undergoing treatment with the medications semaglutide or tirzepatide, which are both currently labeled for clinical use for type 2 diabetes. Study: Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide for Weight Loss in Adults With Overweight or Obesity . Image Credit: New Africa / Shutterstock Obese or overweight individuals are generally at a higher risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and have higher morbidity and mortality rates in comparison to individuals within the normal weight range.
Historically, very few pharmacological treatments or anti-obesity medications have been developed for weight loss, and the few that exist have a high rate of adverse reactions and show only modest results in weight loss. However, recent randomized clinical trials have reported significant weight loss associated with newer medications such as semaglutide, which is a glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 1 receptor agonist, and tirzepatide, also a or GLP-1 receptor agonist and a gastric inhibitory polypeptide agonist, among obese individuals irrespective of type 2 diabetes status. Both these medications are labeled for clinical use for type 2 diabetes, and while data from randomized control trials suggest that tirzepatide results in more significant weight loss than semaglutide in type 2 diabetes patients , comparisons of weight loss results for both med.
