WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Tirzepatide is superior to intensified conventional care (ICC) for adults with early type 2 diabetes (T2D) uncontrolled with metformin, according to a study published online May 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Stefano Del Prato, M.D., from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide versus ICC in participants with early T2D who have inadequate glycemic control with diet, exercise, and metformin in a randomized phase 4 trial involving 794 adults with a maximum of four years of T2D history. Participants were randomly assigned to receive tirzepatide (15 mg or maximum tolerated dose) or ICC (including glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists but excluding tirzepatide).
The researchers found that for mean changes from baseline to two years, tirzepatide was superior to ICC for hemoglobin A1c (−1.99 versus −1.32 percentage points; estimated treatment difference [ETD], −0.68 percentage points), weight (ETD, −8.0 kg), and waist circumference (ETD, −6.2 cm). Normoglycemia (hemoglobin A1c <5.7 percent) was achieved by more participants receiving tirzepatide than ICC (60.2 versus 24.0 percent). In both groups, gastrointestinal adverse events were the most common.
"These findings support the concept that early initiation of tirzepatide treatment could establish better and potentially more durable glycemic control than can be achieved with conventional care," the authors write.
The study was funded by Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of tirzepatide.
