Tirzepatide may reduce type 2 diabetes progression risk, study suggests

Adults with obesity or overweight and prediabetes had a 94 per cent lower risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes after taking tirzepatide, drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. reported.

Study participants taking tirzepatide also experienced an average decrease in body weight of almost 23 per cent, compared with 2.1 per cent for those in the placebo arm.

The study has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal and is to be presented at an upcoming obesity conference.

More than 1,000 adults with prediabetes took part in the study. Each participant was randomly assigned to receive 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg of tirzepatide or placebo.

The participants taking 15 mg of tirzepatide lost 22.9 per cent, while the adults receiving 10 mg lost 19.9 per cent and those taking 5 mg lost 15.4 per cent.

Dr Jeff Emmick, Senior Vice President of Product Development at Lilly, said: “Obesity is a chronic disease that puts nearly 900 million adults worldwide at an increased risk of other complications such as type 2 diabetes.

“Tirzepatide reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 94 per cent and resulted in sustained weight loss over the three-year treatment period.

“These data reinforce the potential clinical benefits of long-term therapy for people living with obesity and prediabetes.”