Real-World Weight Loss Observed With Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in Patients with Overweight or Obesity and Without Type 2 Diabetes (SHAPE).

INTRODUCTION

Semaglutide 2.4 mg injection (Wegovy®), a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for weight management in June 2021. Tirzepatide, a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and GLP-1 receptor agonist, was approved for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM; Mounjaro®) in May 2022 and weight management (Zepbound®) in November 2023. Due to limited data on the long-term effectiveness of these medications, this study assessed real-world weight loss with semaglutide 2.4 mg or tirzepatide after 1 year in patients with overweight or obesity and without T2DM.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study included adults with overweight or obesity and ≥ 1 pharmacy claim for semaglutide 2.4 mg or tirzepatide in the US Komodo Health database between June 4, 2021, and December 15, 2023. Patients had continuous enrollment for 1 year before (baseline period) and 1 year after (follow-up period) the index date (date of treatment initiation) and persistence on therapy (no gap of > 30 days' supply) during follow-up. Patients with T2DM at baseline were excluded. Weight change from index to 1 year was descriptively assessed.

RESULTS

Overall, 9916 patients were included (semaglutide 2.4 mg, n = 6794; tirzepatide, n = 3122). Baseline characteristics were descriptively similar for semaglutide 2.4 mg and tirzepatide: mean age was 47.8 and 49.5 years, 79.8% and 77.9% were female, and mean index weight was 104.5 and 104.9 kg, respectively. After 1 year of follow-up, the mean weight loss from baseline with semaglutide 2.4 mg and tirzepatide was - 14.6 and - 17.2 kg, respectively, with percent weight loss of - 14.1% and - 16.5%. Most (83.5%) patients treated with semaglutide 2.4 mg reached the maximum dose (2.4 mg), while 25.9% of patients treated with tirzepatide reached the maximum dose (15 mg).

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest semaglutide 2.4 mg and tirzepatide are used in descriptively similar populations and both resulted in clinically meaningful weight loss after 1 year of treatment.