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Tirzepatide weight loss at each dose

What the trials found at 5, 10 and 15 mg, how many people reached each milestone, and what the averages do not tell you.

Medical review: pendingUpdated 13 Oct 20263 scientific references

Key facts

  • In SURMOUNT-1, average weight loss over 72 weeks was 15.0% at 5 mg, 19.5% at 10 mg and 20.9% at 15 mg, against 3.1% on placebo.
  • At least 5% was lost by 85–91% of people on tirzepatide, against 35% on placebo.
  • With type 2 diabetes the losses were smaller: 12.8% at 10 mg, 14.7% at 15 mg (SURMOUNT-2).
  • Only 5, 10 and 15 mg were tested as fixed doses; there are no trial figures for 7.5 or 12.5 mg.

Tirzepatide weight loss chart

SURMOUNT-1: 2,539 adults with obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition, and no diabetes, followed for 72 weeks1.

Weekly doseAverage weight loss, 72 weeks
5 mg15.0%
10 mg19.5%
15 mg20.9%
Placebo3.1%

Everyone, including the 15 mg group, started at 2.5 mg and stepped up every 4 weeks, so the higher-dose groups spent the first months on lower doses.

How many people lost how much

DoseLost 5% or moreLost 20% or more
5 mg85%not reported in the abstract
10 mg89%50%
15 mg91%57%
Placebo35%3%

With type 2 diabetes

SURMOUNT-2 tested 10 and 15 mg in 938 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes for 72 weeks. Average weight loss was 12.8% at 10 mg and 14.7% at 15 mg, against 3.2% on placebo2. Weight loss is usually smaller in people with diabetes on any of these medicines.

Against semaglutide

SURMOUNT-5 compared tirzepatide with semaglutide directly in 751 adults with obesity and no diabetes, each at the highest tolerated dose. After 72 weeks the average loss was 20.2% on tirzepatide and 13.7% on semaglutide3.

How to read these numbers

An average is not a forecastThese are averages across hundreds of people on a set dose, with diet and activity advice. Some lost much more and some much less, and the average cannot say where one person will land. Stopping tirzepatide usually brings much of the weight back.

The dose you stay on is set by your prescriber, weighing how much you are losing against how well you tolerate it.

Getting tirzepatide prescribed

Frequently asked questions

How much weight do you lose on 5 mg of tirzepatide?

15.0% on average over 72 weeks in SURMOUNT-1, in adults with obesity and no diabetes.

How much weight do you lose on 10 mg of tirzepatide?

19.5% on average over 72 weeks in SURMOUNT-1; half of people lost 20% or more.

How much weight do you lose on 15 mg of tirzepatide?

20.9% on average over 72 weeks in SURMOUNT-1; 57% of people lost 20% or more.

Is tirzepatide better than semaglutide for weight loss?

In SURMOUNT-5, people on tirzepatide lost 20.2% on average over 72 weeks, against 13.7% on semaglutide.

Scientific references

  1. Jastreboff AM et al. Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-1). N Engl J Med 2022;387:205-216.
  2. Garvey WT et al. Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity in people with type 2 diabetes (SURMOUNT-2). Lancet 2023.
  3. Aronne LJ et al. Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity (SURMOUNT-5). N Engl J Med 2025.

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