Exit Interviews Examining Patient Experiences with Tirzepatide and Dulaglutide for Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in the SURPASS-CVOT Trial

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.