Exit Interviews Examining Patient Experiences with Tirzepatide and Dulaglutide for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in the SURPASS-CVOT Trial
- 1PPD Evidera Patient-Centered Research, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA USA
- 2Eli Lilly and Company, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, IN 46285 USA
Abstract
Introduction: Qualitative exit interviews with people who recently completed a clinical trial can provide in-depth insights into their treatment experience and the benefits they consider most meaningful. The purpose of this exit interview study was to examine the impact of long-term treatment with dulaglutide and tirzepatide from the perspective of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Methods: Interviews were conducted after participants completed treatment with either dulaglutide or tirzepatide in the multiyear SURPASS-CVOT clinical trial. Interviews were conducted by telephone or web-based conference using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed following a content analysis approach.
Results: In total, 147 people were invited to participate in exit interviews across 10 US trial sites. A total of 74 participants were interviewed (63.5% male; mean age = 68.9 years), including 31 treated with dulaglutide and 43 treated with tirzepatide. Participants reported treatment benefits during the trial, such as improved glycemic control (97.3%), weight reduction (91.9%), reduced appetite (78.4%), improved diet and eating habits (64.9%), increased energy (56.8%), and decreased desire for unhealthy food (41.9%). Some also noted improvement in conditions other than T2D, including joint pain/osteoarthritis (18.9%) and sleep apnea (8.1%). Nearly all participants said these treatment-related changes were meaningful. Participants described improvements in quality of life and daily activities associated with treatment. The most commonly reported adverse event was nausea (28.4%). Most participants said they would be very likely (77.0%) or likely (16.2%) to recommend their treatment to others.
Conclusions: Exit interview results indicate that self-reported treatment benefits were important to people who received long-term treatment with dulaglutide or tirzepatide.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-026-01907-y.
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BibTeX
@article{stewart2026exit,
title = {{Exit Interviews Examining Patient Experiences with Tirzepatide and Dulaglutide for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in the SURPASS-CVOT Trial}},
author = {Katie D. Stewart and Louis S. Matza and Chanadda Chinthammit and Imre Pavo and Amy K. Bartee and Kristina S. Boye},
journal = {Diabetes Therapy},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1007/s13300-026-01907-y},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-026-01907-y},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exit Interviews Examining Patient Experiences with Tirzepatide and Dulaglutide for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in the SURPASS-CVOT Trial
AU - Katie D. Stewart
AU - Louis S. Matza
AU - Chanadda Chinthammit
AU - Imre Pavo
AU - Amy K. Bartee
AU - Kristina S. Boye
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
JO - Diabetes Therapy
DO - 10.1007/s13300-026-01907-y
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-026-01907-y
AB - Introduction: Qualitative exit interviews with people who recently completed a clinical trial can provide in-depth insights into their treatment experience and the benefits they consider most meaningful. The purpose of this exit interview study was to examine the impact of long-term treatment with dulaglutide and tirzepatide from the perspective of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Methods: Interviews were conducted after participants completed treatment with either dulaglutide or tirzepatide in the multiyear SURPASS-CVOT clinical trial. Interviews were conducted by telephone or web-based conference using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed following a content analysis approach. Results: In total, 147 people were invited to participate in exit interviews across 10 US trial sites. A total of 74 participants were interviewed (63.5% male; mean age = 68.9 years), including 31 treated with dulaglutide and 43 treated with tirzepatide. Participants reported treatment benefits during the trial, such as improved glycemic control (97.3%), weight reduction (91.9%), reduced appetite (78.4%), improved diet and eating habits (64.9%), increased energy (56.8%), and decreased desire for unhealthy food (41.9%). Some also noted improvement in conditions other than T2D, including joint pain/osteoarthritis (18.9%) and sleep apnea (8.1%). Nearly all participants said these treatment-related changes were meaningful. Participants described improvements in quality of life and daily activities associated with treatment. The most commonly reported adverse event was nausea (28.4%). Most participants said they would be very likely (77.0%) or likely (16.2%) to recommend their treatment to others. Conclusions: Exit interview results indicate that self-reported treatment benefits were important to people who received long-term treatment with dulaglutide or tirzepatide. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-026-01907-y.
SN - 1869-6953
SN - 1869-6961
ER -