Introduction
Tirzepatide weight change in the main obesity trial was measured over 72 weeks, not week by week. In SURMOUNT-1, mean change at week 72 was -15.0%, -19.5%, and -20.9% across tirzepatide groups, compared with -3.1% with placebo.
In SURMOUNT-4, continued treatment after a 36-week lead-in produced a further 5.5% average reduction through week 88, while switching to placebo led to 14.0% average regain.
Week 72: the main obesity result
SURMOUNT-1 enrolled adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related condition, without diabetes. At week 72, mean body-weight change was -15.0%, -19.5%, and -20.9% across tirzepatide groups, compared with -3.1% with placebo. The trial included diet and physical-activity intervention.
Current telehealth prices and providers
These rows come from Telehealth Ledger's canonical catalog. A low headline price only ranks when medication is included and the continuing or prepaid basis is comparable.
Pallas Health
Zepbound · Brand-name injection · medication included
Price source · checked 22 August 2026GobyMeds
Zepbound® · Weekly injection · medication included
Price source · checked 2 September 2026Sprout Health
Zepbound® · Weekly injection · medication included
Price source · checked 2 August 2026- Hone Health: Estimated from $349/mo plus membershipMedication or membership billed separately
Pallas Health
Mounjaro · Brand-name injection · medication included
Price source · checked 22 August 2026Telos RX
Microdosed Tirzepatide · Weekly injection · medication included
Price source · checked 2 September 2026Embody
Compounded tirzepatide injection · Weekly subcutaneous injection · medication included
Price source · checked 22 August 2026GobyMeds
Compounded Tirzepatide Starter Plan · Weekly injection · medication included
Price source · checked 2 September 2026CoreAge Rx
Compounded tirzepatide injection · Injection · medication included
Price source · checked 18 August 2026SnagRX
Compounded tirzepatide injection · Weekly subcutaneous injection · medication included
Price source · checked 22 August 2026Showing the 5 lowest comparable published prices from 13 eligible providers. The complete comparison includes every current catalog row.
- He & She MD: $209/mo effective • $627 prepaid every 3 monthsMedication included as published
- He & She MD: $199/mo effective • $1,194 prepaid every 6 monthsMedication included as published
- SkinnyRx: From $299/mo • exact renewal price depends on the selected planMedication included as published
Eligibility, prescribed quantity, state availability, pharmacy fulfillment, shipping, supplies, and follow-up can change the final cost. Unknown fields remain unknown.
Weeks 36 to 88: maintenance evidence
SURMOUNT-4 gave all participants tirzepatide during a 36-week open-label lead-in. Participants then continued tirzepatide or switched to placebo. Continued treatment produced a further 5.5% mean reduction from randomization to week 88; the placebo-switch group had 14.0% mean regain over that period.
| Decision point | What the cited evidence can answer |
|---|---|
| Exact product | Confirm the approved indication, route, and formulation |
| Outcome evidence | Keep direct trials separate from indirect study comparisons |
| Practical fit | Review safety history, other medicines, follow-up, and access |
What a useful follow-up timeline tracks
A real follow-up timeline includes symptoms, tolerance, body weight, relevant health outcomes, current medicines, access, and goals. SURPASS-2 belongs in the diabetes evidence lane at 40 weeks and should not be used to create an obesity week-by-week forecast.
Use a table to prevent false precision
The table keeps the evidence horizon visible and avoids invented monthly targets.
| Study | Population | Time point | Editorial use |
|---|---|---|---|
| SURMOUNT-1 | Adults with obesity or overweight plus a related condition, without diabetes | 72 weeks | Describe primary obesity-trial horizon |
| SURMOUNT-4 | Adults completing a tirzepatide lead-in | 36-week lead-in, then week 88 | Explain maintenance and withdrawal context |
| SURPASS-2 | Adults with type 2 diabetes | 40 weeks | Do not use as an obesity timeline forecast |
When to discuss progress
ADA guidance supports regular reassessment of effectiveness, safety, goals, and treatment burden. A clinician may review symptoms, health outcomes, other medicines, and access alongside weight rather than treating one number as the whole decision.
Do not borrow another person's escalation schedule or change a regimen to chase a trial average.
Keep the safety lane open
Severe GI symptoms, dehydration, abdominal pain, allergic symptoms, and hypoglycemia concerns with insulin or secretagogues need the side-effect and clinical-safety pathway. They are more urgent than the question of whether the scale has changed this week.
A timeline page should link outward for that detail instead of diluting its evidence focus.
What the cited sources establish
SURMOUNT-1 provides a 72-week primary obesity horizon, and SURMOUNT-4 adds maintenance and withdrawal evidence after a 36-week lead-in. SURPASS-2 is a 40-week diabetes comparison, so it should not be used to draw an obesity timeline. The study clock, population, and continuation status are necessary context for every result.
The two trial horizons answer different timeline questions. SURMOUNT-1 shows the primary 72-week weight-change result in adults without diabetes, while SURMOUNT-4 shows what happened after an initial 36-week lead-in when treatment continued or changed to placebo. In practice, follow-up uses weight alongside symptoms, tolerance, relevant health outcomes, medication changes, and goals, rather than a chart as a standalone target.
The reported mean changes are long-horizon study results, so a useful timeline avoids invented weekly targets. Early follow-up can focus on tolerance, hydration, medication interactions, and whether the product and care plan remain workable. Later follow-up can connect weight with blood pressure, glycemic status when relevant, activity, nutrition, and treatment burden. This makes the trial timeline useful without turning a group average into a deadline for one person.
Questions that change the next review
A timeline follow-up can review symptoms, tolerance, relevant health outcomes, current medicines, access, and goals alongside body weight. The clinician can explain whether the measured pattern raises a safety, adherence, or treatment-burden question without turning a trial chart into an escalation schedule.
A useful timeline conversation asks which outcomes matter besides weight and whether symptoms, access, or another medicine changed during the same period. That context often explains why a trial chart is an incomplete progress measure.
Product details that still need verification
This page offers no weekly target, plateau diagnosis, or instruction to change treatment. Continued-treatment and withdrawal findings are averages from selected participants, not proof that every person should remain on medicine regardless of adverse effects, cost, pregnancy plans, or preferences.
SURMOUNT-1 measured obesity outcomes at 72 weeks. SURMOUNT-4 shows why treatment continuation changes maintenance results. Separate trials cannot create a direct semaglutide comparison. A slow early change is a follow-up question, not a self-titration cue. Tirzepatide trial outcomes develop over months. Use the timeline to prepare better follow-up questions, not to set a personal weekly target.
Use the current product label and prompt clinical care for urgent symptoms or medication changes.
Common questions
- How fast does tirzepatide work for weight loss?
- Trials measured change over many months. Individual timing varies, and early scale changes do not predict a final result.
- What does SURMOUNT-1 prove?
- It supports long-term average outcomes in its studied population, with diet and physical-activity intervention. It is not a guarantee.
- Does a plateau mean it stopped working?
- A plateau deserves a clinician discussion about the full treatment context, not a self-directed medication change.
- Why include SURMOUNT-4?
- It provides maintenance and withdrawal context after an initial lead-in period.
Read timelines as evidence, not promises
Tirzepatide trial outcomes develop over months. Use the timeline to prepare better follow-up questions, not to set a personal weekly target.
Sources
- SURMOUNT-1PubMed · Accessed 28 August 2026
Primary 72-week obesity evidence.
- SURMOUNT-4PubMed · Accessed 28 August 2026
Maintenance and withdrawal trial evidence.
- SURPASS-2PubMed · Accessed 28 August 2026
Diabetes trial context that should not be merged into obesity claims.
- Zepbound prescribing informationFDA · Accessed 28 August 2026
Approved product and safety boundary.
- ADA Standards of Care 2026American Diabetes Association · Accessed 28 August 2026
Individualized follow-up context.
Refresh triggers
- A new FDA label or Medication Guide
- A new major clinical-trial publication
- An ADA or AGA guideline update
- A material change to the verified provider registry