SURMOUNT (Tirzepatide for Obesity)

The SURMOUNT programme

A series of Phase 3 trials testing tirzepatide for obesity:

• SURMOUNT-1 (2022): adults without diabetes, weekly tirzepatide 5/10/15 mg or placebo over 72 weeks.
• SURMOUNT-2: in T2D.
• SURMOUNT-3: after diet-induced 5% weight loss.
• SURMOUNT-4: continued vs withdrawn after lead-in.
• SURMOUNT-MMO ongoing: hard cardiovascular outcomes.
• SURMOUNT-OSA (2024): obstructive sleep apnea.

SURMOUNT-1 results

• Mean weight loss: 15.0% (5 mg), 19.5% (10 mg), 20.9% (15 mg) vs 3.1% placebo over 72 weeks.
• ~57% of high-dose participants lost ≥20% body weight; ~36% lost ≥25%.
• Significant improvements in BP, lipids, glycaemia, quality of life.

SURMOUNT-OSA (2024)

Tirzepatide reduced apnea-hypopnea index by ~50% (vs ~7% placebo) in obese OSA. Many participants moved from severe to mild OSA category — implying obesity-driven OSA is largely a metabolic disease.

Why this matters for longevity

• Obesity drives much of cardiovascular, metabolic, sleep, and cancer risk.
• Effective long-term obesity treatment changes the calculus of preventive medicine.
• SURMOUNT-MMO will report whether weight-loss-induced CV benefit reaches GLP-1-monotherapy levels.

Related entries

GLP-1 agonists, SELECT, Sleep apnea, Type 2 diabetes.