Weight Loss Drug Linked to Lower Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with Diabetes

Diabetic Retinopathy (c) AAO

The popular diabetes and weight loss medication tirzepatide (brand name Mounjaro or Zepbound) may lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of vision loss, according to Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

More than 6 million people in the U.S. use either semaglutide or tirzepatide—drugs that reduce blood sugar, slow gastric emptying and reduce appetite. GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide lower blood sugar by mimicking the body’s natural hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which triggers insulin secretion and blocks glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar levels. Tirzepatide, however, activates both the GLP-1 receptor and a second hormone pathway called glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), producing greater improvements in insulin sensitivity, weight loss and metabolic inflammation.

Based on findings obtained from a large database of patients across multiple clinical practices, those with diabetic retinopathy may be less concerned that taking tirzepatide is going to make their condition worse. - Dr. Szilárd Kiss

Two recent large-scale studies hinted that semaglutide treatment worsened diabetic retinopathy temporarily, related to blood sugar lowering quickly. But this observation didn’t match Dr. Szilárd Kiss’ experience in the clinic. Dr. Kiss is the Bob and Dolores Hope-Robert M. Ellsworth, M.D. Distinguished Professor in Ophthalmology, and an ophthalmologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

The team found that patients taking tirzepatide had a lower risk of worsening diabetic retinopathy or related complications than controls after one year of treatment. For example, incident mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy occurred in 0.49% of tirzepatide patients compared with 1.2% of controls. As a result, the tirzepatide group had a reduced need for eye treatments such as intraocular injections or laser therapy.

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This study has been published in AAO's journal Ophthalmology. To read the article, click here.