A recent study indicates that tirzepatide, beyond its weight management benefits, could significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and serious infections among adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity, prompting new considerations for its wider therapeutic potential.
A new study published in The BMJ suggests that tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro, may do more than help people lose weight. In adults with type 2 diabetes, excess weight and established heart disease, the drug was associated with a lower risk of heart attack, stroke or death from any cause than sitagliptin, another diabetes medicine, according to reporting based on the research.
The analysis drew on health insurance records for almost 53,000 people in the United States between May 2022 and May 2025. About 35,000 started tirzepatide, while the rest received sitagliptin. After a year, the event rate for heart attack, stroke or death was 2.9% in the tirzepatide group, compared with 4.4% in the sitagliptin group. The researchers said that starting tirzepatide in 70 patients would prevent one such event.
The findings also pointed to a possible effect on serious infections. Hospital admissions for infection were 36% lower among tirzepatide users, while deaths linked to infection were 60% lower. On that basis, the researchers estimated that treating 48 patients would avert one hospitalisation for infection, and that 200 patients would need to be treated to prevent one infection-related death.
Niels Kruger, the study’s senior researcher and a cardiovascular physician at the Technical University of Munich, said the infection results were unexpected because they were so pronounced. He said previous work had already suggested that GLP-1 drugs can be linked to fewer infection-related hospital admissions and deaths, but the reasons remain unclear. Researchers said obesity may drive inflammation that can interfere with immune function, though they stressed that it is not yet certain whether the benefits come directly from tirzepatide, from weight loss or from both.
Zepbound itself was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on November 8, 2023, for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight conditions. The agency said the once-weekly injection works by activating GIP and GLP-1 receptors, helping to reduce appetite and food intake, and clinical trials showed average weight loss of about 12% versus placebo. Common side effects include nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal discomfort.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
