Real‐World Effectiveness of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide Compared With Bariatric Surgery
Authors' conclusion
In this retrospective two-center study, bariatric surgery was associated with greater weight loss than GLP-1RAs among patients eligible for both options.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with BMI ≥ 35, two urban health systems, 2018 to 2024
- Participants
- 44,025 adults
- Exposure
- Semaglutide or tirzepatide vs sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass
- Semaglutiden = 25,804
- Tirzepatiden = 7,308
- Sleeve gastrectomyn = 8,728
- Gastric bypassn = 2,185
- Outcome
- Total weight loss (TWL)
- Follow-up
- Up to 3 years post treatment
Methodological detailstwo-center, inverse probability weighting, mixed linear models
- Two-center
- Inverse probability weighting
- Mixed linear models
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
TWL at 1, 2 and 3 years (ITT) · 1, 2, and 3 years post treatment
Semaglutide
5.4%, 6.5%, 7.4%
95% CI 5.3%-5.6%; 6.4%-6.7%; 7.3%-7.6%
Tirzepatide
9.1%, 10.8%
95% CI 8.9%-9.4%; 10.2%-11.3%
Sleeve gastrectomy
24.4%, 22.4%, 22.0%
95% CI 24.3%-24.6%; 22.3%-22.5%; 21.8%-22.1%
Gastric bypass
29.8%, 28.1%, 28.4%
95% CI 29.7%-29.9%; 28.0%-28.2%; 28.3%-28.5%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Semaglutide | Tirzepatide |
|---|---|---|
| TWL, per-protocol (1 year of continuous GLP-1 RA) · 1, 2, and 3 years post treatmentPer-protocol | 7.2%, 8.0%, 8.8% (95% CI 7.0%-7.4%; 7.8%-8.2%; 8.6%-9.0%) | 11.7%, 11.9% (95% CI 11.4%-11.9%; 11.5%-12.3%) |
Original publication
Real‐World Effectiveness of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide Compared With Bariatric Surgery. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published 25 June 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →