TIRZEPATIDE - A NEW ERA IN OBESITY TREATMENT? A REVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE

Keywords: Tirzepatide, Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, GIP, GLP-1

Abstract

Obesity represents a serious public health issue and is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular, metabolic, and various oncological diseases. Modern therapies based on incretin-class drugs have attracted considerable interest due to their broad metabolic effects, including not only support in weight reduction but also improved glycemic control. Tirzepatide, a dual incretin receptor agonist, has demonstrated superior efficacy in promoting weight loss and maintaining a healthy body weight. Increasing evidence suggests that its clinical effectiveness exceeds that of traditional incretin therapies in multiple aspects. Adverse effects are most often mild and well tolerated, with no significant impact on patients’ quality of life. This makes tirzepatide a promising therapeutic option for individuals with obesity, both with and without concomitant diabetes. Despite encouraging results, further long-term, randomized, double-blind clinical trials are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety across diverse patient populations and to develop clear treatment protocols and dosage escalation strategies during therapy.

Objective: A review of selected articles, literature, and the latest reports on the use of tirzepatide in the treatment of obesity.

Materials and Methods: A literature review of scientific articles available on PubMed and Google Scholar.

References

Stoś K, Rychlik E, Woźniak A, et al. Prevalence and Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Overweight and Obesity among Adults in Poland: A 2019/2020 Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(3):1502. Published 2022 Jan 28. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031502

NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). Worldwide trends in diabetes prevalence and treatment from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 1108 population-representative studies with 141 million participants [published correction appears in Lancet. 2025 Apr 5;405(10485):1146. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00620-8.]. Lancet. 2024;404(10467):2077-2093. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02317-1

Forzano I, Varzideh F, Avvisato R, Jankauskas SS, Mone P, Santulli G. Tirzepatide: A Systematic Update. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(23):14631. Published 2022 Nov 23. doi:10.3390/ijms232314631

Anderson SL, Marrs JC. Tirzepatide for type 2 diabetes. Drugs Context. 2023;12:2023-6-1. Published 2023 Aug 22. doi:10.7573/dic.2023-6-1

Wang, Lijing. "Designing a dual GLP-1R/GIPR agonist from tirzepatide: comparing residues between tirzepatide, GLP-1, and GIP." Drug design, development and therapy (2023): 1547-1559.

Jensen, T. L. et al. (2024) ‘The Body weight Reducing Effects of Tirzepatide in People with and without Type 2 Diabetes: A Review on Efficacy and Adverse Effects’, Patient Preference and Adherence, 18, pp. 373–382. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S419304.

Urva, S., Quinlan, T., Landry, J. et al. Effects of Renal Impairment on the Pharmacokinetics of the Dual GIP and GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Tirzepatide. Clin Pharmacokinet 60, 1049–1059 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40262-021-01012-2

Seino Y, Fukushima M, Yabe D. GIP and GLP-1, the two incretin hormones: Similarities and differences. J Diabetes Investig. 2010;1(1-2):8-23. doi:10.1111/j.2040-1124.2010.00022.x

Baggio LL, Drucker DJ. Biology of incretins: GLP-1 and GIP. Gastroenterology. 2007;132(6):2131-2157. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2007.03.054

Müller TD, Finan B, Bloom SR, et al. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Mol Metab. 2019;30:72-130. doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2019.09.010

Gupta, Shreyasi, and Utpal Sen. "More than just an enzyme: Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) and its association with diabetic kidney remodelling." Pharmacological research 147 (2019): 104391.

Svendsen B, Pais R, Engelstoft MS, et al. GLP1- and GIP-producing cells rarely overlap and differ by bombesin receptor-2 expression and responsiveness. J Endocrinol. 2016;228(1):39-48. doi:10.1530/JOE-15-0247

Cifuentes, Lizeth, Michael Camilleri, and Andres Acosta. "Gastric sensory and motor functions and energy intake in health and obesity—therapeutic implications." Nutrients 13.4 (2021): 1158.

Seufert J, Gallwitz B. The extra-pancreatic effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists: a focus on the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2014;16(8):673-688. doi:10.1111/dom.12251

Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN, et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(3):205-216. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038

Garvey WT, Frias JP, Jastreboff AM, et al. Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity in people with type 2 diabetes (SURMOUNT-2): a double-blind, randomised, multicentre, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2023;402(10402):613-626. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01200-X

Rosenstock J, Wysham C, Frías JP, et al. Efficacy and safety of a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide in patients with type 2 diabetes (SURPASS-1): a double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial [published correction appears in Lancet. 2021 Jul 17;398(10296):212. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01556-7.]. Lancet. 2021;398(10295):143-155. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01324-6

Frías JP, Davies MJ, Rosenstock J, et al. Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(6):503-515. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2107519

Ludvik B, Giorgino F, Jódar E, et al. Once-weekly tirzepatide versus once-daily insulin degludec as add-on to metformin with or without SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes (SURPASS-3): a randomised, open-label, parallel-group, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2021;398(10300):583-598. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01443-4

Del Prato S, Kahn SE, Pavo I, et al. Tirzepatide versus insulin glargine in type 2 diabetes and increased cardiovascular risk (SURPASS-4): a randomised, open-label, parallel-group, multicentre, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2021;398(10313):1811-1824. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02188-7

Dahl D, Onishi Y, Norwood P, et al. Effect of Subcutaneous Tirzepatide vs Placebo Added to Titrated Insulin Glargine on Glycemic Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: The SURPASS-5 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2022;327(6):534-545. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.0078

Yao H, Zhang A, Li D, et al. Comparative effectiveness of GLP-1 receptor agonists on glycaemic control, body weight, and lipid profile for type 2 diabetes: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2024;384:e076410. Published 2024 Jan 29. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-076410

Frias JP, Nauck MA, Van J, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of tirzepatide, a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist in patients with type 2 diabetes: A 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate different dose-escalation regimens. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2020;22(6):938-946. doi:10.1111/dom.13979

Furihata K, Mimura H, Urva S, Oura T, Ohwaki K, Imaoka T. A phase 1 multiple-ascending dose study of tirzepatide in Japanese participants with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022;24(2):239-246. doi:10.1111/dom.14572

Karagiannis T, Malandris K, Avgerinos I, et al. Subcutaneously administered tirzepatide vs semaglutide for adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Diabetologia. 2024;67(7):1206-1222. doi:10.1007/s00125-024-06144-1

Sokary, Sara, and Hiba Bawadi. "The promise of tirzepatide: A narrative review of metabolic benefits." Primary Care Diabetes (2025).

Chavda, Vivek P., et al. "Tirzepatide, a new era of dual-targeted treatment for diabetes and obesity: a mini-review." Molecules 27.13 (2022): 4315.

Bethesda, L. "Clinical and research information on drug-induced liver injury [internet]." National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2012).

Le, Trang Thi Bich, et al. "A case report of systemic allergic reaction to the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide." Cureus 16.1 (2024).

Grennan K, Borg C, Meneley A, Janitz T, Shuman M, Venegas C. Fatal, Fulminant, Necrotizing Pancreatitis Associated With Recent Tirzepatide Initiation. JCEM Case Rep. 2025;3(6):luaf087. Published 2025 Apr 23. doi:10.1210/jcemcr/luaf087

Pan XH, Tan B, Chin YH, et al. Efficacy and safety of tirzepatide, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and other weight loss drugs in overweight and obesity: a network meta-analysis. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2024;32(5):840-856. doi:10.1002/oby.24002

De Block C, Bailey C, Wysham C, Hemmingway A, Allen SE, Peleshok J. Tirzepatide for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes: An endocrine perspective. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2023;25(1):3-17. doi:10.1111/dom.14831

Au HCT, Lam PH, Lim PK, McIntyre RS. Role of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 on Amyloid, Tau, and α-Synuclein: Target Engagement and Rationale for the Development in Neurodegenerative Disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. Published online April 17, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106159

Ishimura A, Shimizu Y, Yabuki N. Effects of patient age on the therapeutic effects of GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists (tirzepatide). Drug Discov Ther. Published online April 27, 2025. doi:10.5582/ddt.2025.01012

Yang J, Gu Y, Chen H, et al. Tirzepatide's innovative applications in the management of type 2 diabetes and its future prospects in cardiovascular health. Front Pharmacol. 2024;15:1453825. Published 2024 Aug 28. doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1453825

Published
2025-12-23
Citations
How to Cite
Adam Solarz, Joanna Kryślak, Szymon Szabelski, Estera Graczyk, Maciej Sokołowski, & Karolina Oskroba. (2025). TIRZEPATIDE - A NEW ERA IN OBESITY TREATMENT? A REVIEW OF THE CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE. International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science, 3(4(48). https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.4(48).2025.4143

Most read articles by the same author(s)