BACKGROUND: Obesity, a pervasive global health challenge affecting more than 2 billion people, requires comprehensive interventions. Traditional approaches, including lifestyle modification, and diverse drugs targeting a gastrointestinal hormone, including glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 (Liraglutide, Semaglutide, Exenatide, Albiglutide, Dulaglutide, Lixisenatide, Orlistat, Phentermine/Topiramate, Lorcaserin, Sibutramine, and Rimonabant) offer tailored strategies; yet their effectiveness is limited and some drugs were taken off the market. Moreover, various surgical modalities, such as Roux-en-Y Bypass surgery, sleeve gastrectomy, intragastric balloons, biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch, laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, and vagal nerve blockade can be considered but are associated with numerous side effects and require careful monitoring. Consequently, there is a pressing need for novel anti-obesity treatments.
METHODS: This comprehensive review was based on the available data to discuss the traditional pharmaceutical and surgical therapeutical strategies for obesity, going further to discuss tirzepatide's mode of action, its outcomes for obesity, and the associated side effects.
RESULTS: In this landscape, tirzepatide, initially designed for type 2 diabetes management, emerges as a potential game-changer. Functioning as a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, it not only addresses control but also introduces a fresh perspective on weight reduction. This review intricately explores tirzepatide's mechanism, dissecting insights from clinical studies and positioning it as a major force in obesity treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: In the middle of significant shifts in obesity management, tirzepatide presents itself as a promising and cost-effective intervention. Its Food and Drug Administration approval marks a milestone in the realm of obesity therapeutics. Going beyond a recapitulation of findings, the conclusion emphasizes the imperative for ongoing exploration and vigilant safety monitoring in tirzepatide's application.
