For Heart Failure Patients, Tirzepatide Could Lower Risk of Hospitalization and Death
A study from tirzepatide's manufacturer found that the GLP-1 drug could significantly improve heart failure symptoms
- A recent study found that tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound and Mounjaro, could reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from heart failure.
- The GLP-1 drug is approved to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, but emerging research continues to find tirzepatide’s potential cardiovascular benefits.
- The trial included over 700 participants with obesity from around the world, and those who took tirzepatide had a 38% lower risk of heart failure symptoms.
The active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound may reduce the risk of hospitalization and death from heart failure, according to data from the drugs’ manufacturer, Eli Lilly.
Tirzepatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug, was found to significantly improve heart failure symptoms and physical limitations and reduce the risk of negative heart failure outcomes, including escalation of oral diuretic treatments, hospitalization, or cardiovascular death. The trial was done in adults with obesity and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
The data, posted online on August 1, has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal. However, the “study offers hope for U.S. patients with HFpEF,” since nearly 60% also have obesity, Priya Jaisinghani, MD, a clinical assistant professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine who reviewed the topline results, told Health.
Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Mounjaro and is approved for type 2 diabetes management. It’s also the active ingredient in Zepbound, which is approved for weight loss in adults with a body mass index (BMI) over 30 or for those with a BMI of 27 and at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure or cholesterol.
Here’s what experts had to say about the preliminary data and why tirzepatide could be a useful tool for protecting heart health.
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Investigating How Zepbound Works in Those With Heart Failure and Obesity
This Eli Lilly tirzepatide trial was conducted on 731 people from the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Israel, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Russia, and Taiwan. All of the participants had obesity, and some had diabetes.
Everyone included in the trial also had a specific type of heart failure called HFpEF—people with this condition have stiffness in the left ventricle of their heart, which makes it hard for the heart to properly fill with blood. About half of all heart failure patients have HFpEF, and symptoms include fatigue or shortness of breath.
The participants either took a placebo, or a weekly 5 milligram (mg), 10 mg, or 15 mg tirzepatide injection for a year, depending on how much they could tolerate.
The preliminary results showed that those who took tirzepatide had 38% lower risk of urgent visits and hospitalizations, cardiovascular death, and a need for increased oral diuretics as compared to the placebo group.
Participants who took tirzepatide also saw improvements in their heart failure symptoms and physical limitations—they saw improvements in their exercise capacity and a reduction in certain inflammation markers.
Additionally, people who took the drug for the duration of the study lost an average of 15.7% of their body weight, while those in the placebo group lost 2.2%, the data showed.
"HFpEF accounts for nearly half of all heart failure cases, and in the U.S., almost 60% of those impacted also live with obesity. Despite a continuing increase in the number of people with both HFpEF and obesity, treatment options remain limited," Jeff Emmick, MD, PhD, senior vice president of product development at Eli Lilly, said in a statement. “In a first-of-its-kind trial, tirzepatide reduced severity of symptoms and improved heart failure outcomes.”
Lilly continues to evaluate the trial results, which it said will be presented at an upcoming medical meeting and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. The company also plans to submit the results to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory agencies later this year. The company did not return Health’s request for comment.
What's the Difference Between Mounjaro and Ozempic?Tirzepatide’s Effect on Heart Health
Though Mounjaro and Zepbound are indicated for type 2 diabetes and weight management, they could have broader effects on the body.
Tirzepatide works by activating GLP-1 receptors, as well as glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors, Jaisinghani explained, which regulate appetite and caloric intake. But both of these receptors are also expressed in the heart, blood vessels, and in other parts of the body, she said.
And this isn’t the first study to find that tirzepatide can lower heart-related risks. A 2023 study found the drug led to lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and research published earlier this year found that, among people without diabetes, taking tirzepatide lowered their cardiovascular disease risk by 2.4%.
Other GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic and Wegovy, have also demonstrated cardiovascular benefits for people, including reducing the incidence of heart attack and stroke. Plus, a 2023 report also found that semaglutide, the active ingredient in these two drugs, lessened symptoms and physical limitations for people with HFpEF in comparison to a placebo.
“Both drugs [semaglutide and tirzepatide] produced weight loss…substantial weight loss…and improved symptoms of heart failure and improved the functionality of these patients,” W. Timothy Garvey, MD, professor and associate director of the Department of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told Health.
Though Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, and Mounjaro could all be beneficial for HFpEF patients, data has suggested that tirzepatide in particular could have even “more favorable effects” on blood sugar control, body weight, and cardiovascular disease risk as compared to other drugs in its class.
Could Zepbound Be a Treatment for Heart Failure in the Future?
The new Eli Lilly data is preliminary and hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed, so it’s too soon to say whether Zepbound and Mounjaro could be used to treat heart failure. However, this and other emerging research on GLP-1 drugs “offers up a new avenue for treating patients with [HFpEF],” Garvey said.
“Given the limited treatment options for HFpEF, it’s exciting to see how the therapeutic landscape might evolve, especially with tirzepatide showing promise not only in treating HFpEF but also in addressing related conditions like sleep apnea and diabetes,” Jaisinghani added.
It’s likely that the U.S. will see more data like this going forward—drug manufacturers are now building studies to not only look at GLP-1 medications’ effect on diabetes and obesity, but also on the cascade of complications that stem from these conditions, said Garvey.
“It’s a complication-centric approach to care,” he explained.
Though Garvey wants to see more data on cardiovascular benefits of tirzepatide, he said the drug could be helpful for those who want to reduce their cardiovascular risks (and shed weight, too). Of course, people should consider potential side effects and should talk to their healthcare provider before looking into starting Zepbound, Mounjaro, Ozempic, or any GLP-1 drug.
This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Kristen Fischer
