Study seeks to understand weight gain after stopping GLP-1 weight loss drug

A new study published in JAMA concludes that long-term use of the GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide may be necessary to prevent weight gain.

For participants who were obese or overweight without diabetes, researchers found that stopping tirzepatide led to substantial regain of lost weight, whereas continued treatment maintained and augmented initial weight reduction.

The research, also known as the SURMOUNT-4 randomized clinical trial, centered around 670 patients who took the drug for 36 weeks, during which time they lost an average of 20% of their initial body weight.

Investigators then compared outcomes in participants who continued to receive a high dose of the drug for a year with those who were switched to a placebo.

Those still receiving active treatment went onto lose another 5.5% of their body weight, but those who discontinued tirzepatide gained an average 14% of the lost weight back.

The trial was conducted at 70 sites in four countries.