Evidence receipt
SURPASS-2: what the trial found
A plain-language summary of one study: who took part, what they got, what it was compared with, what happened in each group, its limits and who paid for it. One trial. Results are group averages, not a prediction for any one person.
Study: SURPASS-2[1]
Does tirzepatide lower blood sugar (HbA1c) more than semaglutide 1 mg in type 2 diabetes treated with metformin?
- Who was in it
- 1,879 adults with type 2 diabetes not controlled on metformin
- What they got
- Tirzepatide 5, 10 or 15 mg once a week
- Compared with
- Semaglutide 1 mg once a week
- How long
- 40 weeks
- What happened
- HbA1c fell 2.01, 2.24 and 2.30 percentage points on tirzepatide 5, 10 and 15 mg vs 1.86 on semaglutide 1 mg. Extra weight loss vs semaglutide: 1.9, 3.6 and 5.5 kg.
- Limits
- Open-label: participants knew which drug they took
- Semaglutide compared at 1 mg, not higher doses approved later
- 40 weeks
- Funded by
- Eli Lilly
Summary by Joshua Nichvolodoff, from the published paper — not written by the study's authors. Clinical review: not yet reviewed by a clinician.
Sources
- Tirzepatide versus semaglutide once weekly in patients with type 2 diabetes (SURPASS-2). New England Journal of Medicine, August 5, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34170647/ · DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2107519 · PMID 34170647. Accessed November 2, 2026. Back to the text
Discussed in: Tirzepatide, explained · Mounjaro, explained
General information, not medical advice.