Top in endocrinology: Tirzepatide overcomes long obesity history; diabetes drug market

Adults who received tirzepatide experienced greater weight loss than those who received placebo, regardless of each patient’s length of history of obesity, according to a post-hoc analysis of four SURMOUNT trials.

Trial participants with a disease duration of 20 years or more experienced similar magnitude of body weight and waist circumference reductions compared with adults with a shorter disease duration who received the same tirzepatide (Zepbound, Eli Lilly) dose, researchers reported.

“It is well known that the body of subjects with obesity is less responsive to anti-obesity treatment if the history of obesity is long ... a long history of obesity blunts the metabolic system, making it less responsive to pharmaceutical treatment,” Giovanna Muscogiuri, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of endocrinology at University of Naples Federico II in Italy, told Healio. “Tirzepatide overcame this issue, being effective in subjects with obesity independently of the length of the history of obesity, and this was surprising.”

It was the top story in endocrinology last week.

In another top story, the prices of nearly all insulins, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists could be reduced significantly by the increased manufacture of generic and biosimilar diabetes medications, according to study findings published in JAMA Network Open.

Read these and more top stories in endocrinology below:

Tirzepatide lowers body weight for adults with obesity, regardless of disease duration

Adults with obesity for 20 years or more who received tirzepatide had a similar reduction in body weight and waist circumference as adults with shorter obesity duration, according to a post hoc analysis of four SURMOUNT trials. Read more.

More competition, access could reduce prices for diabetes therapies

Prices for most diabetes medications exceed their manufacturing costs, and the addition of generic or biosimilar medications could help to lower prices, according to study findings published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.

Similar health costs after gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy for adults with diabetes

Adults with type 2 diabetes have a reduction in overall health care costs after bariatric surgery, regardless of whether they underwent gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy, according to study findings published in Obesity. Read more.

Major adverse CV event risk lower after surgery, radioactive iodine for hyperthyroidism

Adults with hyperthyroidism who undergo surgery or receive radioactive iodine therapy have a lower risk for major adverse cardiovascular events than those receiving antithyroid drugs, according to data published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.

Nonbinary youths report worse depressive symptoms than binary transgender youths

Nonbinary youths report more depression and are more likely to attempt self-harm than binary transgender youths, according to study findings published in LGBT Health. Read more.