What happened in a weight trial
In the SURMOUNT-1 study, adults without diabetes lost an average of 15% to 20.9% of their body weight over 72 weeks with tirzepatide. The average varied with the amount of medicine in each shot given in the study.
The comparison group, given a placebo shot without the active drug, lost 3.1% on average.
The study received funding from the drugmaker; participants had regular visits and lifestyle counseling.
Longer bars mean more weight lost. The shaded end marks the range across the drug groups.
What happened after a switch
In the SURMOUNT-4 study, some people switched from tirzepatide to a placebo after 36 weeks. Over the next 52 weeks, they gained an average of 14% of their body weight measured when they switched. That percentage was based on their weight at the switch, rather than on the pounds they had lost.
Those who continued tirzepatide lost another 5.5% on average during that period.
This makes the longer plan worth discussing. It does not decide how long any particular person needs treatment.
Use the numbers as a prompt
Ask whether the study group resembles your situation. Ask which result matters to the condition being treated, and how the person treating you would judge whether the treatment is helping.
Claim: a trial average predicts my result.Reveal the correction
The SURMOUNT-1 results are group averages from a trial with regular visits and lifestyle counseling. They do not establish what any one person will lose.
When an advertisement gives a result, ask for the study behind it.