The evidence map
What do the trials actually show?
A trial result answers a narrow question about a group of people. Read the comparison, who took part and what else came with treatment.
A direct comparison has useful limits
SURMOUNT-5 compared tirzepatide with semaglutide in adults with obesity who did not have type 2 diabetes.
Over 72 weeks, average weight change was a 20.2% loss with tirzepatide versus a 13.7% loss with semaglutide.
Lilly, the tirzepatide maker, funded the trial; people knew which medicine they received, which is called an open-label trial.
- That answers the trial’s comparison, not every care question.
- Ask how the people in the trial compare with your own health history.
- Bring the result to a discussion of your own health history.
Stopping is part of the evidence question
In the STEP 1 follow-up, participants regained about two-thirds of their earlier semaglutide weight loss in the year after treatment stopped.
- Ask what the care plan looks like after the opening months.
- Ask how progress and fit will be reviewed.
- Ask what happens if cost or the treatment choice changes.
A report does not prove a cause
The reporting page from FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) explains that a medicine-problem report alone cannot establish its cause or how often it happens.
- Look for the group and comparison behind a number.
- Look for the sponsor behind a trial.
- Ask whether a claim is a trial result, a label statement or a report.