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Real-world data study comparing Mounjaro and Ozempic for weight loss published in JAMA Internal Medicine

by | Jul 8, 2024 | Research

In the largest comparative effectiveness study of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Ozempic) for weight loss using real-world data – now published in JAMA Internal Medicine – Truveta Research found that patients with overweight or obesity taking tirzepatide were three times more likely to achieve 15% weight loss than those taking semaglutide.

Truveta Research’s comparative effectiveness study exploring weight loss among patients taking semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) has been published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist-based (GLP-1 RA) medications, including semaglutide and the dual GLP-1 RA/gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) medication tirzepatide, are used to treat type 2 diabetes or obesity.

In the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, we compared weight loss outcomes for patients taking semaglutide and tirzepatide approved by the FDA for treating type 2 diabetes (Ozempic and Mounjaro, respectively). The study can also be viewed directly within Truveta Studio.

In this study, we studied patients with overweight or obesity initiating either semaglutide or tirzepatide between May 2022 and September 2023. We used multiple rigorous methods (including propensity score matching) to achieve a well-balanced analytic cohort of more than 18,000 patients to appropriately evaluate the effectiveness of semaglutide compared with tirzepatide for weight loss. Our analysis found that patients taking tirzepatide were significantly more likely to achieve weight loss:

  • Those taking tirzepatide were 1.8 times more likely than those taking semaglutide to achieve 5% weight loss,
  • 2.5 times more likely than those taking semaglutide to achieve 10% weight loss,
  • And 3.2 times more likely than those taking semaglutide to achieve 15% weight loss.

We also found that patients taking tirzepatide experienced significantly larger reductions in body weight at specified timepoints:

  • At 3 months, the mean percentage change in body weight was -5.9% for those taking tirzepatide versus -3.6% for those taking semaglutide.
  • At six months, the mean percentage change in body weight was -10.1% for those taking tirzepatide versus -5.8% for those taking semaglutide.
  • At one year, the mean percentage change in body weight was -15.3% for those taking tirzepatide versus -8.3% for those taking semaglutide.
In the largest comparative effectiveness study of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Ozempic) for weight loss using real-world data – now published in JAMA Internal Medicine – Truveta Research found that patients with overweight or obesity taking tirzepatide were three times more likely to achieve 15% weight loss than those taking semaglutide.
The study also found a high rate of discontinuation – 55.9% of patients on tirzepatide, and 52.5% of patients on semaglutide within 12 months.

Additionally, we found that weight loss was greater for patients without type 2 diabetes than for those with evidence of type 2 diabetes, though differences in effectiveness between tirzepatide and semaglutide were similar. Rates of moderate to severe gastrointestinal adverse events were similar between those taking tirzepatide and semaglutide.

In the largest comparative effectiveness study of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and semaglutide (Ozempic) for weight loss using real-world data – now published in JAMA Internal Medicine – Truveta Research found that patients with overweight or obesity taking tirzepatide were three times more likely to achieve 15% weight loss than those taking semaglutide.
This research was conducted using Truveta, which offers the most complete, timely, and clean regulatory-grade electronic health record (EHR) data from more than 100 million patients across more than 30 US health systems. Truveta Data is representative of inpatient and outpatient care from over 800 hospitals and 20,000 clinics. Truveta Data is updated daily for the most current view of patient care. By providing a complete view of the patient journey, including clinical notes and medical images, Truveta enables researchers to accelerate therapy adoption, improve clinical trials, and enhance patient care. These data were then analyzed using Truveta Studio, which enables scientifically rigorous, fast, and compliant analytics.