5.5% Further Loss With Continued Tirzepatide at 88 Weeks
SURMOUNT-4 examined what happened after participants completed 36 weeks of tirzepatide treatment. It found further average loss among people who continued treatment during the randomized phase, while the placebo-switch group regained weight on average.
From week 36 to week 88, continued tirzepatide produced 5.5% further average weight loss; switching to placebo was associated with 14.0% average regain.
The between-group difference from randomization to week 88 was −19.4 percentage points. The study was designed to evaluate continued treatment after a 36-week lead-in, so the result describes the randomized maintenance phase rather than a new-treatment outcome from baseline.
Turn the study result into a better program comparison
If this maintenance result leads you to compare GLP-1 programs, focus on the questions the trial cannot answer: the plans each provider offers, clinician follow-up, public price terms, refill policies, and whether a program fits your goals. The reviewed brands below have category-matched GLP-1 offers; none participated in or is endorsed by this study.
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Featured value terms: semaglutide $49/mo or tirzepatide $89/mo with 12-month prepayment; $99/$129 month to month.
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Study details
- Population
- 670 adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related complication, excluding diabetes, who completed a 36-week tirzepatide lead-in
- Follow-up
- 88 weeks total; 52-week randomized period
- Treatment comparison
- After 36 weeks of open-label tirzepatide at a maximum tolerated dose of 10 mg or 15 mg, participants continued tirzepatide or switched to placebo for 52 additional weeks
- Study design
- Phase 3, randomized withdrawal trial
A study result is not a personal treatment plan
This was a randomized withdrawal trial after an initial tirzepatide lead-in. It does not decide whether ongoing treatment is appropriate for an individual, what a provider can prescribe, or what a health plan will cover. Those decisions require a licensed clinician and a review of current terms.
Compare GLP-1 programsWhat this result does not show
- All randomized participants had already completed a 36-week tirzepatide lead-in, so this is a maintenance-phase result rather than a first-start treatment result.
- The study enrolled adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related complication and excluded diabetes.
- It does not compare online providers, medication access, affordability, coaching programs, or individual outcomes.
- The study was funded by Eli Lilly; the primary paper and disclosure materials are linked at the end of this article.
Related Studies
Explore other peer-reviewed results in Evidence Watch before comparing programs or discussing options with a clinician.
Primary peer-reviewed source
Read the full paper, methodology, conflict-of-interest disclosures, and supplementary materials before drawing conclusions beyond this plain-English summary.
Read the study at JAMA