WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2026 (NewsDay News) — Tirzepatide is superior to conventional care (ICC) for adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) not controlled on metformin, according to a study published online May 26. Annals of internal diseases.
Stefano Del Prato, MD, from the Advanna Sant’Anna Research School in Pisa, Italy, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide compared to ICC in participants with early T2D who had inadequate glycemic control with diet, exercise, and metformin in a 4-year randomized phase with a history of up to 4 79D in adults. Participants were randomly assigned to receive tirzepatide (15 mg or maximum tolerated dose) or ICC (including glucagon-peptide-1 receptor agonists, excluding tirzepatide).
The researchers found that for the mean change from baseline to two years, tirzepatide exceeded the ICC for hemoglobin A1c (-1.99 versus -1.32 percentage points; estimated treatment difference (ETD), -0.68 percent), weight (ETD, -8.0 kg), and waist circumference (ETD, -6 cm). Normoglycemia (hemoglobin A1c <5.7 percent) was achieved by more participants receiving tirzepatide than ICC (60.2 vs. 24.0 percent). In both groups, gastrointestinal adverse events were more common.
“These findings support the concept that early initiation of tirzepatide treatment may achieve better, and possibly more durable, glycemic control than usual care,” the authors write.
The study was funded by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of tirzepatide.
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