One major cardiovascular event could be prevented for every 70 people who started taking Mounjaro, according to new research published August 5. The drug, whose generic name is tirzepatide, is already widely used for blood sugar control and weight loss. This study examined whether it also protects the heart.
Researchers analyzed health insurance data from nearly 53,000 people with type 2 diabetes, overweight or obesity, and established heart disease, according to a report by Healthline. They compared cardiovascular outcomes in people taking tirzepatide against those taking sitagliptin, a diabetes medication that prior studies have shown has no effect on cardiovascular outcomes. That made sitagliptin a useful stand-in for a placebo. The average age of participants was 70. Of the total group, 35,353 started tirzepatide and 17,618 started sitagliptin.
Researchers tracked participants for one year, or until they stopped or switched treatment, or left their health insurance plan. They accounted for age, sex, race, BMI, previous heart issues, other chronic conditions, and other medications.
At the one-year mark, the rate of major cardiovascular events was 2.9 percent in the tirzepatide group and 4.4 percent in the sitagliptin group. Major cardiovascular events in the study were defined as a combined measure of heart attack, stroke, and death from any cause.
Breaking down the individual components, tirzepatide was associated with a 33 percent reduction in heart attacks compared with sitagliptin. There was no meaningful difference between the two groups for ischemic stroke.
The benefits extended beyond the heart. The tirzepatide group also saw fewer infections requiring hospitalization, with one admission prevented for every 48 people. One death from infection was prevented for every 200 people, and one death from any cause was prevented for every 122 people.
Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, was not involved in the study but commented on the findings. "These findings build on a growing body of research showing that GLP-1 medications can benefit more than just blood sugar; they may also support heart health and help manage conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease," he said.
Previous randomized trials had shown that tirzepatide and dulaglutide, another diabetes drug sold as Trulicity, had similar effects on major cardiovascular events. This new study adds real-world insurance data to that picture, covering a large and older patient population with existing heart disease.
