EVIDENCE / EVIDENCE BRIEF
A trial result is not a guarantee. Read who took part, what changed, how long it ran, and who paid for it.
EVIDENCE CARDS
SURMOUNT is the name of a series of tirzepatide weight trials.
Across 72 weeks in SURMOUNT-1, average loss ranged from about 15% to 21% for participants without diabetes; the dummy-shot group lost about 3%.
Limit: These were group averages from a maker-supported trial with regular visits and lifestyle support.
Open the journal record ↗In the SURMOUNT-4 trial, everyone first took tirzepatide for about nine months.
Then some people were switched to a dummy shot: over the next year, they regained about 14% of their weight, while people who stayed on tirzepatide lost a little more.
Limit: The trial does not decide one person’s long-term plan.
Open the journal record ↗In a 72-week head-to-head trial, the tirzepatide group lost about 20% of body weight and the semaglutide group lost about 14%.
Limit: The study was open-label, meaning the people in it knew which drug they were getting. It was run and paid for by the maker of tirzepatide.
Open the journal record ↗SECOND LOOK
Cochrane is an international research network that pools the results of many trials to see what they show together.
A Cochrane review found that tirzepatide lowered body weight by about 16% more than a dummy treatment over 12 to 18 months.
The reviewers also noted that every included trial was paid for by the drug maker.
A useful provider can explain the benefit without turning an average into a forecast for one person.