Mounjaro Cuts Risk of Death by 16% in Landmark Trial

They didn’t just meet the bar. They may have raised it forever.

Today, Eli Lilly released the much anticipated topline results from the SURPASS-CVOT trial, the largest and longest trial of Mounjaro to date. For those of us watching from the sidelines, hoping, praying, and fighting for better outcomes in type 2 diabetes and obesity, this is the kind of data that doesn’t just change guidelines. It changes lives.

Mounjaro versus Trulicity The Heart of the Matter

The SURPASS-CVOT trial put two giants in the ring. Mounjaro, Lilly’s dual GIP and GLP 1 receptor agonist, versus Trulicity, their earlier GLP 1 therapy with proven cardiovascular benefit in the REWIND study.

On the primary endpoint, major adverse cardiovascular events including heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death, Mounjaro proved noninferior to Trulicity with an 8% lower rate of events. But that’s just the headline.

Here’s where things hit home. Mounjaro users had a 16% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those on Trulicity. That’s not just a stat. That’s a dad who gets more years with his kids. A grandmother who lives to see another graduation. A patient who didn’t just lower their A1C. They beat the odds.

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How Does This Compare to Wegovy and the SELECT Trial?

In late 2023, Novo Nordisk changed the game when it released results from the SELECT trial, showing that Wegovy cut major cardiovascular events by 20% in people with obesity but without diabetes.

SURPASS-CVOT is a different kind of victory. This was a head to head trial, not against placebo, but against another already heart protective GLP-1 drug. And Mounjaro still managed to reduce cardiovascular events by 8% and cut the risk of death by 16%.

SELECT proved that treating obesity can protect the heart. SURPASS-CVOT proved that even among people with full blown diabetes and known heart disease, a dual incretin like Mounjaro might offer broader protection than older GLP-1 therapies.

So if SELECT was the moment the world realized obesity meds can save lives, SURPASS is the moment we learned not all meds are created equal.

The Biggest and Longest Trial of Tirzepatide Ever

This wasn’t a quick look. It was a five year, double blind, randomized trial with over 13,000 participants from 30 countries, all living with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease. Patients were given maximum tolerated doses of Mounjaro or Trulicity and followed for a median of four years. It’s the most robust dataset we’ve ever seen for tirzepatide.

And it delivered.

Beyond Blood Sugar Weight Kidneys Survival

Mounjaro didn’t just maintain Trulicity’s heart protection. It built on it. Here’s what else it did over 36 months:

• Lowered A1C more: 1.73 percent reduction versus 0.90 percent

• Dropped more weight: 12 percent body weight loss versus 5 percent

• Preserved kidney function: slowed eGFR decline by 3.5 mL per minute

• Cut all cause mortality: 16 percent lower risk of death

• Improved biomarkers: blood pressure, lipids, and more

In a matched comparison using placebo estimates, Mounjaro reduced MACE 3 risk by 28 percent and all cause death by 39 percent. That is stunning.

Why This Matters for the Obesity and Diabetes Community

Let’s name the quiet part out loud. For decades, people with obesity and type 2 diabetes were handed blame instead of medicine. We were told to just eat less, move more, and pray we didn’t have a heart attack before Medicare kicked in.

Now we have a medication that not only helps with blood sugar and weight. It helps people live longer.

This trial doesn’t just show noninferiority. It suggests that treating the whole metabolic system with a dual incretin like tirzepatide could be the new standard, especially for those at high cardiovascular risk.

Safety Still Matters

Mounjaro and Trulicity both had side effects that were expected and manageable. The most common were mild to moderate GI issues. Discontinuation due to adverse events was a bit higher for Mounjaro at 13.3% versus 10.2% for Trulicity, but overall safety stayed consistent with previous trials.

What’s Next

Full results are coming in September at the EASD conference. Lilly also plans to submit the data to regulatory agencies before the year ends.

If approved for cardiovascular risk reduction, Mounjaro could become the preferred treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease. That would be a massive shift.

The Bottom Line

This is a moment. Not just for Eli Lilly. Not just for clinicians. But for every person who has spent their life fighting an invisible battle inside their body.

Tag someone who needs to hear this. Send it to your doctor. Share it if you’ve ever been told your weight was your fault.

Because today’s news says otherwise. It says the science is on your side now. And it’s about time.