August 6, 2025

Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in a Remote Weight Management Program: Retrospective 12-Month Outcomes in Program Completers (Preprint)

Key Points

Mean weight change at 12 months was -22.9 kg for tirzepatide and -18.1 kg for semaglutide, both significantly reducing weight.
95.2% of tirzepatide participants and 83.1% of semaglutide participants achieved ≥10% weight loss, demonstrating high efficacy.
Participants reported significant reductions in side effects, with no side effects increasing from 41.6% to 60.3% for tirzepatide.
Economic modeling indicated a 60-70% cost saving compared to specialist services, supporting remote program feasibility.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Obesity affects over 890 million adults worldwide and traditional lifestyle interventions often lack long-term success. While GLP-1 receptor agonists have shown strong weight loss outcomes, access to specialist care is limited by cost and capacity. OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and potential cost-effectiveness of a 12-month remote GLP-1RA-supported weight management program, comparing outcomes between tirzepatide and semaglutide. METHODS This retrospective analysis included 339 participants (82% women) who completed a 12-month remote weight management program with either tirzepatide (n=209) or semaglutide (n=130) between February and June 2024. The program combined medication, app-based behavioral support, coaching from registered dietitians/nutritionists, and clinical oversight. It featured five phases with evidence-based behavior change techniques, monthly monitoring, and safety protocols. Primary outcomes were mean weight change and proportions achieving ≥10% and ≥15% weight loss. Secondary outcomes included behavioral changes, side effects, acceptability, feasibility, and estimated cost-effectiveness compared to NHS care. RESULTS Mean weight change at 12 months was -22.9 kg (-22.1% of baseline weight, SD=8.0, P CONCLUSIONS This real-world evaluation demonstrates that remotely delivered, GLP-1RA-supported weight management programs can achieve weight loss outcomes that align closely with clinical trial results while potentially reducing healthcare costs by 10-70% compared to traditional UK services. Both tirzepatide and semaglutide cohorts exceeded clinically significant weight loss thresholds with acceptable safety profiles and positive behavioural changes. These findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of digital delivery models for expanding access to specialist obesity treatment within resource-constrained healthcare systems, with outcomes that compare favourably to pharmacological intervention alone.

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Cite This Study

Richards et al. (Tue,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/689522189f4f1c896c429e45 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2196/preprints.81912

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