Latest news with #tirzepatide
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Research shows many people who stop weight loss drugs regain weight
Patients prescribed drugs to help them lose weight may experience a rebound in weight gain after stopping their prescription, according to a study published on Tuesday. The study, published in BMC Medicine, found people lost a significant amount of weight while taking anti-obesity medications (AOMs). However, researchers found a broad trend in associated weight regain starting eight weeks after the course of medication finished, then continuing for an average of 20 weeks before plateauing. For example, participants who completed a 36-week treatment of tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro for diabetes treatment and Zepbound for weight loss, regained almost half the weight previously lost after switching to a placebo. The amount of weight regained depended on several factors, including the type of medication taken by participants and the consistency of their lifestyle change, the researchers, from Peking University People's Hospital, said. The study analyzed data for patients receiving weight loss drugs across 11 randomized trials from around the world. Overall, the authors analyzed data from 1,574 participants in treatment groups and 893 in control groups. Solve the daily Crossword
Medscape
a day ago
- Health
- Medscape
Higher BMI, Bigger Gains: Tirzepatide's Effects on HFpEF
TOPLINE: In patients with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), tirzepatide reduced the risk for worsening heart failure or cardiovascular death regardless of their baseline BMI or fat distribution, with larger gains observed among those with higher BMI. Those who lost more weight with tirzepatide showed greater improvements in exercise capacity and symptom severity. METHODOLOGY: The SUMMIT trial previously showed significant benefits of tirzepatide, a long-acting glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and GLP-1 receptor agonist, in patients with obesity-related HFpEF. In this secondary analysis, researchers looked at whether the effects of tirzepatide varied with the severity and distribution of a patient's obesity or by the extent of weight loss achieved after treatment. The trial included 731 patients aged 40 years or older (mean age, 65.2 years; 53.8% women) with obesity-related HFpEF (defined by the New York Heart Association's functional classes II-IV) and a BMI of 30 or higher. Participants were randomly assigned to subcutaneously receive either 2.5 mg/wk of tirzepatide (n = 364) or a placebo (n = 367). Patients were categorized into tertiles of their baseline BMI and waist to height ratio. Primary endpoints were the time to first adjudicated cardiovascular death or an event of worsening HF and a change in the symptom status measured using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CSS) at 52 weeks. Secondary endpoints included changes in exercise capacity (measured using the 6-minute walk distance), body weight, and blood pressure. TAKEAWAY: Patients in the highest tertile of BMI were younger and most likely to be women and had more severe HF, a greater volume overload, and more severe inflammation. Those with a higher waist to height ratio showed similar patterns, as well as shorter 6-minute walk distances and more severe kidney disease. Use of tirzepatide vs placebo reduced the risk for cardiovascular death or worsening HF across all BMI ranges and waist to height ratios. Tirzepatide was associated with greater improvement in the 6-minute walk distance in patients in the highest range for BMI (37.5 m) than in those in the middle (26.3 m) and lower (9.9 m) ranges (P for trend = .025); improvements in weight loss and systolic blood pressure followed similar patterns. After 52 weeks on tirzepatide, those who lost more weight had bigger gains in their 6-minute walk distance and changes in the KCCQ-CSS (P < .0001 for both). The same benefits were seen in those with larger drops in waist circumference. IN PRACTICE: 'These data provide further evidence supporting the importance of excess body fat, particularly visceral fat, as driving HF severity in patients with the obesity phenotype of HFpEF,' the researchers reported. 'While these findings reinforce the role of incretin therapies in HFpEF management, these data, perhaps more importantly, highlight the urgent need for precision strategies to define obesity and direct therapy to those who will benefit most,' experts wrote in an editorial accompanying the journal article. SOURCE: This study was led by Barry A. Borlaug, MD, of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. It was published online on July 21, 2025, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The researchers presented the findings at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Session 2025. LIMITATIONS: Categorizing patients into tertiles of their BMI or waist to height ratio may have masked some trends. The trial included a higher proportion of women and participants from Latin America, limiting generalizability. Imaging-based methods could possibly offer more precise measurements of obesity. DISCLOSURES: The original trial was funded by Eli Lilly and Company. The lead author reported receiving grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and US Department of Defense, receiving research grants from and consulting for several pharmaceutical companies, and being a named inventor for tools and approach for procedure to treat HF. Several other authors reported being employees of or consultants for Eli Lilly and Company and several other companies. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Weight loss drugs may lower risk of dementia, stroke: Study
Some popular weight loss drugs may lower the risk of dementia and stroke for patients with Type 2 diabetes and obesity, new research published in JAMA Network suggests. Patients taking semaglutide or tirzepatide medications — active ingredients in weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy — showed a lower risk of developing certain diseases compared to those taking other, similar medications. Those include neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia and Alzheimer's, and cerebrovascular disease, which manifests in strokes, brain aneurysms and more. Researchers analyzed the health developments over seven years in 60,000 adults aged 40 or older diagnosed with both Type 2 diabetes and obesity, as recorded by the TriNetX U.S. network. The patients were all users of semaglutide, tirzepatide or other GLP-1 anti-diabetes drugs from December 2017 through June 2024. The effects were most prominent among women, patients older than 60 and those with a body mass index of 30 to 40. Researchers acknowledged more clinical trials are needed to corroborate their initial findings, but they maintained the data 'represents one of the most recent clinical database–driven analyses to investigate the neuroprotective and cerebrovascular associations of newer GLP-1RAs' for some patients. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Medscape
a day ago
- Health
- Medscape
Tirzepatide Outperforms Semaglutide on Combined T2D Goals
'Simultaneous control of hyperglycemia, lipid profile, blood pressure, and body weight is essential for preventing chronic complications in type 2 diabetes,' Leite said. 'Yet only a small portion of individuals with T2D achieve the recommended therapeutic targets,' she noted. Numerous studies have shown that intensive interventions to meet all combined targets significantly reduce cardiovascular events and mortality, Leite noted. While GLP-1 medications show benefits in each of these measures, the superiority of tirzepatide, a dual GLP-1/ glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide agonist has not been demonstrated in the context of the goal of simultaneously achieving the control of all therapeutic targets. SURPASS-2 Post Hoc Analysis Leite and colleagues conducted the post hoc analysis of the multicenter, randomized, parallel-group SURPASS-2 trial, involving 1879 patients with T2D that was inadequately controlled with a metformin dose of at least 1500 mg/d. In the study, patients were randomized to either tirzepatide 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg vs semaglutide 1 mg. The mean age was 56.6 years, 53% were women, mean A1c was 8.3%, and mean BMI was 34.2. Patients had a median diabetes duration of 7.1 years. For the primary endpoint of the trial, the change in A1c from baseline to 40 weeks was -2.01, -2.24, and -2.30 percentage points with tirzepatide doses of 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg, respectively, vs -1.86 percentage points with semaglutide, indicating that 'tirzepatide at all doses was noninferior and superior to semaglutide,' the SURPASS-2 authors reported. For the current analysis, the assessed outcomes were the attainment of standard and intensive therapeutic targets, based on the American Diabetes Association's Standards of Care in Diabetes. Specifically, standard targets include A1c < 7.0%, blood pressure < 140/90 mm Hg, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol < 70 mg/dL, and > 10% weight loss. The intensive targets are A1c < 6.5%, blood pressure < 130/80 mm Hg, LDL cholesterol < 55 mg/dL, and > 15% weight loss. At baseline, the mean number of therapeutic targets achieved was 1.1 for standard targets and 0.5 for intensive targets, underscoring the uphill battle patients often face. Factors associated with having attained more of the goals at baseline included being White, having lower mean A1c and fasting glucose, having lower waist circumference, and having lower blood pressure levels. By the end of the study, those treated with tirzepatide at all doses achieved more of the standard goals than those treated with semaglutide (2.3, 2.5, and 2.6 with tirzepatide 5, 10, and 15 mg, respectively, vs 2.2 with semaglutide; P < .001). Likewise, the rates of achieving the intensive goals were higher with tirzepatide (1.5, 1.7, and 1.9 with tirzepatide 5, 10, and 15 mg, respectively, vs 1.3 with semaglutide; P < .001). Of note, patients on tirzepatide did not have significant differences compared with those on semaglutide in terms of the achievement of blood pressure < 140/90 mm Hg ( P = .13) or LDL cholesterol < 70 mg/dL ( P = .94). However, the rates of patients achieving three or more standard therapeutic targets were 42%, 53%, and 57% for those treated with tirzepatide at 5, 10, and 15 mg, respectively, vs 35% of those treated with semaglutide (odds ratio [OR] for pooled tirzepatide vs semaglutide, 1.91; P < .001). And for intensive targets, the corresponding rates for meeting three or more targets were 15%, 20%, and 29% for participants treated with tirzepatide at the 3 doses vs 8% for participants treated with semaglutide (OR, 3.09; P < .001). 'The most pronounced advantages of tirzepatide over semaglutide in this analysis were observed in glycemic control and weight management,' Leite said. 'Modest effects on LDL cholesterol were found with both tirzepatide and semaglutide.' Commenting on the study, Shylaja Srinivasan, MD, an associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes Clinic at the University of California San Francisco, said the findings are consistent with the bulk of research showing improvements with tirzepatide compared with GLP-1s. 'It is not surprising to see the findings as tirzepatide does appear to be more efficacious than semaglutide,' Srinivasan said. 'A key caveat was that the comparisons were with 1 mg of semaglutide, which is not the highest dose available,' she noted. 'A better comparison would be with the highest dose of semaglutide (2.4 mg) but that data is not available.' Nevertheless, the study's assessment of the simultaneous goals is a strength, Srinivasan said. 'This particular study looked at overall therapeutic targets, both standard and intensive, which was interesting to see compared to the usual A1c and weight only results.' The SURPASS-2 trial was funded by Eli Lilly. Leite reported having received consulting fees from BIAL. Srinivasan had no disclosures to report. Lead image: Nndanko/Dreamstime
Medscape
4 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
GLP-1 RAs Protective Against Stroke, Neurodegeneration?
TOPLINE: Use of glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), particularly semaglutide and tirzepatide, was associated with a 37% reduced risk for dementia and a 19% reduced risk for ischemic stroke in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity compared to the use of other antidiabetic drugs in a new retrospective cohort study. The neuroprotective effects of GLP-1 RAs were more pronounced in older adults, women, and those with a BMI of 30-40. METHODOLOGY: Investigators analyzed data on more than 60,000 adults aged 40 years or older with T2D and obesity and without type 1 diabetes or preexisting neurodegenerative or cerebrovascular diseases, obtained from electronic health records between 2017 and 2024. After propensity-score matching, participants receiving semaglutide or tirzepatide were assigned to the GLP-1 RA group (n = 30,430; mean age, 58 years; 50% women; 56% White individuals), and those receiving biguanides, sulfonylureas, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, thiazolidinediones, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, and SGLT2 inhibitors were assigned to the 'other antidiabetic drug' group (n = 30,430; mean age, 58 years; 51% women; 56% White individuals). Primary outcomes were the incidence of new‐onset neurodegenerative diseases (dementia, Parkinson's disease, and mild cognitive impairment) and cerebrovascular diseases (ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage). The secondary outcome was all-cause mortality. TAKEAWAY: Patients taking GLP-1 RAs had a significantly lower risk for dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 0.63), ischemic stroke (HR, 0.81), and all-cause mortality (HR, 0.70) than those taking other antidiabetic drugs. Compared with use of other antidiabetic drugs, use of semaglutide was associated with reduced risk for dementia (HR, 0.63), whereas use of tirzepatide was associated with reduced risk for stroke (HR, 0.69) and all-cause mortality (HR, 0.48). No significant differences in risk for Parkinson's disease or intracerebral hemorrhage were observed between the GLP-1 RA group and the other antidiabetic group. The neuroprotective effects of GLP-1 RAs were more pronounced in women (HR, 0.85), adults aged 60 years or older (HR, 0.85), White individuals (HR, 0.86), and those with a BMI of 30-40 (HR, 0.82). IN PRACTICE: 'These findings suggest that semaglutide and tirzepatide may offer neuroprotective and cerebrovascular benefits beyond glycemic control, potentially improving long-term cognitive and survival outcomes in adults with T2D and obesity,' the investigators wrote. 'If shown to be protective for neurodegenerative diseases in future trials, GLP-1 RAs could potentially be used clinically in disease prevention in the future,' Sarah Marzi, PhD, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, England, said in an online comment. Marzi was not involved with the current research. SOURCE: The study was led by Huan-Tang Lin, MD, PhD, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan. It was published online on July 15 in JAMA Network Open. LIMITATIONS: As an observational study, residual confounding from unmeasured factors such as frailty or functional status could not be excluded, potentially introducing healthy user or selection bias. The database used lacked biomarker data, genetic profiles, and neuroimaging assessments, limiting further mechanistic interpretations. The analysis did not account for death as a competing risk. Additionally, medication exposure was inferred from prescriptions without confirmation of actual adherence or accurate drug doses. DISCLOSURES: The study was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, and the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The investigators reported having no relevant conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
