Research on popular weight-loss drugs has steadily increased in recent years, revealing additional health benefits. Data has shown that these treatments, many of which are also indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, can help reduce the risk of kidney disease, slow aging, lower the risk of COVID death, and even help prevent some forms of cancer. The latest study, however, revealed that tirzepatide, better known by Eli Lilly's brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound, can actually reduce the risk of death from heart failure.
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Researchers looked at the relationship between tirzepatide and heart failure as part of the SUMMIT clinical trial, which is sponsored by Eli Lilly, according to a press release from the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System. The latest findings were presented on Nov. 16 at the meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA) in Chicago. As researchers pointed out, obesity is a factor in heart failure, but there isn't much research on how weight-loss treatments like tirzepatide may help with these cardiovascular issues specifically.
“Obesity contributes to worsening heart failure, and while tirzepatide causes considerable weight loss, research is lacking on its effects on cardiovascular outcomes,” lead study author Milton Packer, MD, a distinguished scholar in cardiovascular science at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and a visiting professor at Imperial College in London, said in an AHA press release. “This is the first trial that tested the effect of any medication on major heart failure outcomes in patients with HFpEF and obesity.”
Within the study population, 731 patients had diastolic heart failure preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, which is the threshold marker for obesity. Patients were selected at random to receive either a tirzepatide injection or a placebo, with researchers monitoring them for an average period of two years. Patients received the same weekly injection, which was titrated from 2.5 mg to the maximum weekly dose of 15 mg.
When comparing the two groups, researchers found that patients had better outcomes if they took tirzepatide. Within the placebo group, 56 people (15.3 percent) "died or suffered worsening heart failure," while 36 people (9.9 percent) in the tirzepatide group had the same experience.
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Researchers also found that patients were more likely to lose weight when taking tirzepatide. According to findings, patients on the medication lost 12 percent more weight than those who took a placebo at the one-year mark.
The press release noted that they experienced an improvement in their quality of life, were able to walk farther, and showed decreases in markers that predict the risk of cardiovascular events. A substudy that used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed additional benefits for heart structure and function.
However, patients weren't completely without side effects. Those in the treatment group did report mild to moderate gastrointestinal issues like nausea and diarrhea.
The AHA release also highlighted the study's limitations, including the fact that BMI was used as the body size measure. Because patients with HFpEF can have different measurements, they may not actually fit into the BMI category for obesity, meaning the system may not provide the "most accurate parameters for patients who can benefit from the treatment."
Tirzepatide isn't the only weight-loss drug that has had positive effects on patients with heart failure, either. A 2023 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) looked at the effect of semaglutide (known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy) on patients with obesity and HFpEF.
While this trial wasn't as focused on long-term outcomes, those taking semaglutide did experience "larger reductions in symptoms and physical limitations, greater improvements in exercise function, and greater weight loss" than patients who took a placebo.
