(HealthDay News) — Tirzepatide is superior to semaglutide for both blood sugar control and weight loss among people with type 2 diabetes, according to research presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting 2023, held from Oct. 2 to 6 in Hamburg, Germany.
Thomas Karagiannis, MD, PhD, from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, and colleagues conducted a network meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide to that of subcutaneous semaglutide in people with type 2 diabetes.
Based on 22 randomized controlled trials (18,472 participants), the researchers found that tirzepatide 15 mg was most efficacious in reducing HbA1c versus placebo (mean difference [MD], −2.00%), followed by tirzepatide 10 mg (MD, −1.86%) and semaglutide 2.0 mg (MD, −1.62%). At each of three respective doses, tirzepatide cut HbA1c more than semaglutide. Tirzepatide was more effective than placebo in reducing body weight. Tirzepatide doses of 10 and 15 mg were more effective in lowering body weight than either semaglutide 1.0 or 2.0 mg, while tirzepatide 5 mg was more effective than semaglutide 0.5 and 1.0 mg. All doses of tirzepatide and semaglutide increased the risk for gastrointestinal adverse events versus placebo, with tirzepatide 15 mg yielding the highest risk for nausea (risk ratio [RR], 3.57), vomiting (RR, 4.35) and diarrhea (RR, 2.04).
“In people with type 2 diabetes, tirzepatide 5, 10 and 15 mg were more efficacious in reducing HbA1c compared to semaglutide 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg, respectively,” the authors write.
