How does tirzepatide work?
Tirzepatide switches on two receptors, GIP and GLP-1 (two gut hormones that control blood sugar and appetite), instead of GLP-1 alone like semaglutide. In a head to head study of nearly 1,900 people with type 2 diabetes, every tirzepatide dose lowered blood sugar more than semaglutide's 1 milligram dose. At the highest dose, people lost up to 5.5 kilograms more weight. That two-hormone action is the basis for its FDA approval in both diabetes and obesity.
Studies in people from the compound pages this answer belongs to
- Tirzepatide
- Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity (SURMOUNT-1) 2022 PMID 35658024
- Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (SURPASS-2) 2021 PMID 34170647
- Cardiovascular Outcomes with Tirzepatide versus Dulaglutide in Type 2 Diabetes (SURPASS-CVOT) 2025 PMID 41406444
Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use.
Part of glp-1 and metabolic peptides. Semaglutide, tirzepatide, retatrutide, and the rest of the incretin and glucagon receptor family.