The first-ever clinical trial suggests that Tirzepatide a drug used to manage weight loss under the brand name Zepbound can cut the risk of type 2 diabetes in people with excess weight by half. The study conducted for and by Eli Lilly and Company showed that the drug reduced the chance of developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 94 per cent in high risk candidates.

The trial called the SURMOUNT-4 included more than 1,600 participants with obesity or overweight and at least one comorbidity associated with obesity, but not diabetes. Adults volunteers took 5-mg tirzepatide injections once a week for 36 weeks, then in an unspecified 52-week period some received tirzepatide while others received a placebo.

Dr Ania Jastreboff, the leading scientist of the study and Yale School of medicine associate professor, emphasized, “These are incredible results and the reality is that we have not observed such significant decrease in diabetes risk with any earlier control or medication or changes in the diet.

Tirzepatide works by mimicking two hormones in the body: The two exeendins that have been characterised well and found to be involved are GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). These are the hormones which control blood sugar levels as well as food intake. Liraglutide has been known to be effective for the management of type 2 diabetes and for chronic weight management but the study exposed it for possibilities of preventing diabetes in people with extreme risk.

Within the first 36 weeks of treatment, the subjects reduced their weight by an average of 20. They should carry their fishing gears in balanced proportions with the water in the boat not allowing the boat to sink, this Fishing gears should not amount to more than 3% of their body weight. Participants who participated in the following 52 weeks of tirzepatide plus placebo trial retained most of this weight loss while those who were switched to placebo regained nearly half of this weight.

The biggest benefit was noted in the ability to decrease the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. To the surprise of researchers, among participants who decided to stay on tirzepatide throughout 88 weeks, only 0. Nine percent of the participants developed type 2 diabetes. In contrast, 15. 5 percent of those who changed to placebo were able to contract it. This means that, those who continue with the medication have a 94% lower risk of getting diabetes.

Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association, who did not participate in the study, described the findings as “game-changing. ” He further said, “This could potentially revolutionize our approach to diabetes prevention, especially in high-risk population.

The study also revealed that tirzepatide gave other beneficial effects on other metabolic risk factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin resistance markers. Most of these changes were sustained in the patients who continued the drug Some of those changes were only partially reversed in patients changed to placebo.

However, such findings have been encouraging, and they warned that the drug has several nasty effects. The well-being side effects were observed by the participants to be mostly gastrointestinal related including nausea, diarrhea, and constipation. Side effects were generally mild and moderate and there was a decline of these effects after the first weeks of usage.

The cost of the medication is also still prohibitive and hence its usage has not caught up. At present, tirzepatide costs over $1000 per month in the United States which makes it unaffordable for most patients with no insurance. Single dose vials have however been in debate because while Eli Lilly has said that it was ready to sell them at 50% or more off the regular price, these prices cannot be deemed affordable.

Therefore, Dr. Jastreboff stressed the necessity of the change in the attitudes toward obesity as the disease. Doctors and health officials should be treating overweight and obesity as long term conditions, similar to hypertension and high cholesterol, Osborn stressed. ‘These medications are not a magic pill, they are meant to be used in conjunction with other method of managing the condition in the long term. ”

The worldwide increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes makes the possibilities for drugs such as tirzepatide to reduce the risk of diabetes in at risk people significant for public health. But there is need for more studies in order to establish more information regarding the side effects that are long term and more importantly the right use of these drugs in different populations.