In real-world cohort, percentage weight reduction at one year was 3.6, 6.8, and 11.9 percent with early and late discontinuation and nondiscontinuation, respectively
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — For patients with obesity initiating pharmacotherapy with semaglutide or tirzepatide, weight loss at one year is 8.7 percent on average, which is lower than the percentages reported from clinical trials, according to a study published online June 10 in Obesity.
Hamlet Gasoyan, Ph.D., from the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data to identify adults with overweight or obesity without type 2 diabetes who initiated injectable semaglutide or tirzepatide between 2021 and 2023. The authors sought to characterize changes in body weight and glycated hemoglobin through 12 months by pharmacotherapy discontinuation status. Treatment discontinuation was classified into early discontinuation and late discontinuation (within three months of index date and within three to 12 months).
The study included 7,881 patients: 6,109 and 1,772 received semaglutide and tirzepatide, respectively; 80.8 percent had low maintenance dosages. The researchers found that at one year, the mean percentage weight reduction was 8.7 percent, and it was 3.6, 6.8, and 11.9 percent with early discontinuation, late discontinuation, and nondiscontinuation, respectively. At one year, the mean absolute reduction in percent glycated hemoglobin was 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 with early discontinuation, late discontinuation, and nondiscontinuation, respectively.
“Our study shows that patients treated for obesity with semaglutide or tirzepatide lost less weight on average in a regular clinical setting compared to what is observed in randomized clinical trials,” Gasoyan said in a statement. “According to our data, this could be explained by higher rates of discontinuation and lower maintenance dosages used in clinical practice, compared to randomized clinical trial settings.”
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry; one author received fees from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
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