Switching to tirzepatide resulted in significantly greater reductions in HbA1c and body weight compared to escalating dulaglutide doses in patients with type 2 diabetes. Both treatments had similar safety profiles, with nausea and diarrhea as common side effects.

A new Phase IV study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that switching to tirzepatide leads to greater improvements in blood sugar control and weight loss compared to increasing the dose of dulaglutide in adults with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes.

The SURPASS-SWITCH trial included 282 participants from 38 sites across five countries. Patients were randomized to either escalate dulaglutide to 4.5 mg or switch to once-weekly tirzepatide. After 40 weeks, the tirzepatide group experienced a greater decrease in HbA1c (–1.44%) compared to the dulaglutide group (–0.67%), resulting in a treatment difference of –0.77% (p < 0.001). Weight loss was also significantly greater with tirzepatide (–10.5 kg) compared to dulaglutide (–3.6 kg), resulting in a treatment difference of –6.9 kg (p < 0.001).

Serious adverse events occurred in around 7% of participants in both groups, with nausea and diarrhea being the most reported side effects. Despite the open-label design, researchers concluded that switching to tirzepatide yielded superior glycemic and weight-related outcomes compared to increasing dulaglutide dosage in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

(Source:https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-24-03849 )