As of October 17, 2026, the day this article was written, a new tirzepatide telehealth study just appeared in Nature Medicine. Researchers led by John Deanfield evaluated 8,127 adult women in a structured UK digital weight-loss program. Among the 7,297 women who submitted six-month weights, average weight loss was 15.5%, or 16.1 kg.
That figure is encouraging if you are considering online care, but the study's details matter. The UK program combined medication with home blood tests, weekly live-video check-ins, and monthly clinician reviews. It also had no comparison group and tracked one self-pay UK service.
What the tirzepatide telehealth study found
Published on October 16, 2026, the paper analyzed routine care records collected prospectively and evaluated retrospectively. Women enrolled between November 27, 2024 and January 31, 2025, and started treatment by February 9, 2025.
Out of 16,121 women passing initial screening, 4,025 did not finish baseline blood tests. Clinicians excluded another 308 for abnormal labs or other medical exclusions.
The final cohort included 8,127 women aged 18 to 79, and 88.0% were white. Their starting average weight was 104.2 kg, and their average body mass index (BMI), a measure relating weight to height, was 38.2. Nearly all starters (99.8%) took tirzepatide, while 19 started semaglutide, making this a tirzepatide study rather than a drug comparison.
The primary outcome was six-month weight change in the 7,297 women (89.8%) with follow-up weights. Their mean weight fell from 104.6 kg to 88.6 kg, a 16.1 kg (15.5%) drop that reflects measured participants, not all 8,127 starters.
| Measure | Reported result | Denominator |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment starters | 8,127 women (99.8% tirzepatide) | Prescribed and sent medication |
| Six-month weight sample | 7,297 (89.8%) | Starters with paired weights |
| Mean weight reduction (95% confidence intervals show statistical uncertainty) | 16.1 kg (15.9–16.2); 15.5% (15.4–15.7) | The 7,297 with paired weights |
| Lost ≥5% / ≥10% / ≥15% / ≥20% | 96.1% / 83.1% / 53.5% / 22.4% | The 7,297 with paired weights |
| Remained on treatment | 7,429 (91.4%) | All 8,127 starters |
| Discontinued treatment | 698 (8.6%) | >8 weeks without a refill |
| Repeat blood test | 6,466 (79.6%) | Completed six-month lab test |
Retention and outcome completeness were distinct measures. Going over eight weeks without a refill counted as stopping: 91.4% stayed on treatment, while 89.8% submitted weights and 79.6% finished repeat blood tests.
How the digital weight-loss program worked
This UK program was not a quick questionnaire with automatic refills. Onboarding required an eligibility form, video identity and weight verification, and a home capillary blood test before prescribing. A pooled team of 25 general practitioners, with pharmacist and advanced nurse practitioner support, reviewed every file.
Participants then had weekly live-video check-ins with trained proctors who confirmed weights and scanned medication boxes. Those calls were nonclinical support, not weekly doctor visits. Clinicians reviewed mandatory monthly refill questionnaires and tailored doses to weight response and side effects rather than escalating automatically.
Mean tirzepatide exposure at six months was 9.5 mg weekly, a cohort average rather than an individual target dose. Readers often compare this with the SURMOUNT-1 trial results from a 2022 New England Journal of Medicine study of 2,539 adults without diabetes.
At 72 weeks, SURMOUNT-1 mean weight loss was 15.0% on 5 mg, 19.5% on 10 mg, and 20.9% on 15 mg, versus 3.1% on placebo. Those results cannot be compared directly with the UK cohort. SURMOUNT-1 was a 72-week randomized trial of men and women that analyzed all assigned patients, even after discontinuation.
Only 19 women in the UK cohort initiated semaglutide instead of tirzepatide. Through Promise, semaglutide is dispensed as a compounded medication, which is different from an FDA-approved product: the formulation offered here is not FDA-approved.
Side effects and safety in the cohort
During follow-up, 5,092 of 8,127 starters (62.7%) reported at least one side effect. Among those 5,092 reporters, maximum severity was mild in 36.8%, moderate in 55.4%, and severe in 7.7%. That 7.7% severe rate applies to women reporting side effects, not the full cohort.
Among the 698 women who stopped treatment, 286 (41.0%) reported a side effect, though the study did not establish one reason for each withdrawal. In SURMOUNT-1, most adverse events were also mild to moderate. They caused discontinuation in 4.3%, 7.1%, 6.2%, and 2.6% of the 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, and placebo groups.
The UK authors identified no serious treatment-related adverse events, though six months of routine reporting cannot exclude rare risks. Eleven participants reported pregnancy and all eleven discontinued therapy immediately.
For U.S. context, the August 2026 Zepbound prescribing information details established tirzepatide warnings. The Zepbound label says it must not be used with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, a type of thyroid cancer. It also must not be used in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 or a known serious allergy to tirzepatide or any ingredient in Zepbound.
Zepbound is not recommended for severe gastroparesis, a condition that slows stomach emptying. The label advises contacting a clinician for severe or persistent stomach or bowel symptoms.
Persistent or severe abdominal pain can signal pancreatitis, inflammation of the pancreas. If pancreatitis is suspected, the Zepbound label calls for stopping treatment and starting appropriate management. Its Medication Guide directs patients with severe abdominal pain that does not go away to stop treatment and call a healthcare provider right away.
Serious allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions also require stopping treatment and seeking medical attention promptly, and treatment must be discontinued when pregnancy is recognized. Tirzepatide may also make oral hormonal birth control less effective. The label advises a nonoral contraceptive or added barrier protection for four weeks after starting and four weeks after each dose increase.
What this study does not mean for US patients
Without a control group, the study cannot separate medication effects from blood tests, video check-ins, or patient motivation. It cannot prove online care matches in-person visits, or rule out bias from the 10.2% missing six-month weights despite statistical checks. Participants also paid a fixed fee in a partially provider-subsidized UK program.
A Chicago Community Trust grant through a donor-advised fund at University College London funded the research, with the underlying donor unnamed. The funder had no role in study design, analysis, or publication. eMed Healthcare UK Ltd. and SheMed Limited co-operated the program, and several authors disclosed employment or consulting ties with them and drugmakers.
These UK findings do not evaluate Promise or establish equivalence for compounded medications. An October 1, 2026 FDA update on GLP-1 drugs advises using a doctor's prescription and a state-licensed pharmacy. FDA flags sites without doctor screening or follow-up access; see how to choose a tirzepatide provider to verify those safeguards.
Through Promise, tirzepatide is dispensed as a compounded medication, which is different from an FDA-approved product: the formulation offered here is not FDA-approved. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, meaning the agency does not review their safety, effectiveness, or quality before marketing. FDA says they should be used only when a patient's medical needs cannot be met by a drug approved by the agency.
Regulatory status is one part of the picture, and a licensed provider may still prescribe — that decision is between you and your doctor. Promise's first-visit page describes intake, provider review, pharmacy dispensing, and follow-up; it does not promise the UK study's mandatory blood panels or weekly proctor videos.
As outlined in what to expect from your first visit, a licensed provider reviews every request and not everyone qualifies. Tirzepatide prescribed through Promise is dispensed by a licensed U.S. compounding pharmacy, with follow-up check-ins built into the plan.
What to watch next
Six months is an early snapshot of weight care; see tirzepatide weight loss results for how year-long trials behave. The UK authors called for longer follow-up, comparisons with in-person clinics, broader populations including men, and independent replication.
