SEMAGLUTIDE VERSUS TIRZEPATIDE FOR WEIGHT REDUCTION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND NETWORK META-ANALYSIS

Abstract

This review brings together the published evidence comparing semaglutide and tirzepatide for weight reduction, and it explains how a network meta-analysis is built and read when few direct comparisons exist. It reports no new pooled analysis or patient data. Placebo-controlled phase 3 trials show large mean weight loss with both drugs, with tirzepatide at the higher end, and a recent head-to-head trial supports that ordering. Gastrointestinal events dominate tolerability for both agents. Differences in populations, doses, durations and estimands, together with limited long-term and outcome data for tirzepatide, mean that indirect comparisons should be interpreted with caution and applied alongside individual patient factors.