Could a diabetes drug help smokers kick the habit and avoid weight gain?
NCT ID NCT07602699
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether tirzepatide, a drug used for diabetes and weight loss, can help people with overweight or obesity quit smoking. 300 smokers will receive either the drug or a placebo, plus nicotine patches, for 16 weeks. The goal is to see if the drug improves quit rates and reduces weight gain often seen after quitting.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 21-65 years 2. Body mass index ≥ 25kg/m2 at the baseline screening 3. Reporting ≥10 cigarettes per day, on average, for the past 6 months and \> 2 year duration of smoking 4. Interest in making a long-term cessation attempt within the next 30-60 days 5. Willingness to receive study medication and standard-of-care smoking cessation supports (nicotine replacement therapy and a smoking cessation app) 6. Ability to adhere to weekly visits and study procedures over the study period (i.e., no plans to move or travel for extended periods) 7. Exhaled CO of \>5ppm at baseline 8. Use of an acceptable birth control method for female participants\* 9. Ability to read and communicate in English Exclusion Criteria: 1. BMI \< 25 kg/m2 at screening 2. History of diabetes, diabetes-attributable medical conditions, or HbA1c ≥6.5% at baseline 3. Recent (past 90 days) active suicidal ideation or lifetime history of suicide attempt 4. Current treatment for psychotic disorders or mood disorders with psychotic features (e.g., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, depression with psychotic features), current treatment for bipolar disorder (with or without psychotic features), or current secondary psychosis due to substance use or another medical condition 5. Meeting DSM-5 criteria for a current (past 12 months) substance use disorder other than tobacco use disorder, mild or moderate cannabis use disorder, or mild or moderate alcohol use disorder. 6. Recent (past 30 day) self-report of illicit drug use (excluding cannabis) or non-prescribed opioids; or positive urine screen for illicit drugs. A positive screen for opioids will be allowed if the participant is prescribed an opioid replacement therapy medication and can provide documentation. 7. Past 30-day initiation of psychiatric medications (e.g., SSRIs) or changes to medication dose 8. Treatment with tirzepatide or another GLP-1RA medication in the prior 6 months 9. Current (past month) treatment with other weight loss, diabetes, or smoking cessation medications (varenicline or bupropion; excluding nicotine replacement products) 10. Severe GI disease (e.g., gastroparesis, ulcerative colitis). 11. History of gastric bypass surgery or other surgeries of the stomach 12. Any health condition or treatment/medication that would preclude the use of tirzepatide or NRT, in the opinion of the study physician, including severe cardiovascular disease 13. History of chronic pancreatitis or acute pancreatitis in the last 6 months 14. Currently nursing, pregnant, or anticipating pregnancy 15. History of diabetic retinopathy, proliferative retinopathy, or maculopathy 16. Elevated serum lipase, amylase, bilirubin, or ALP, ALT, or AST (\>5x upper limit of normal range) 17. History of malignant neoplasms in the last 5 years, except non-melanoma skin cancer 18. Inability to attend weekly clinic visits as scheduled (i.e., based on travel or work schedule) 19. Currently enrolled in another clinical study involving an investigational product 20. Currently living in the same household as someone taking a GLP-1 medication, or living with a current or former participant in the present trial 21. Planned surgical procedures requiring anesthesia during the planned study medication period 22. Personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer 23. Personal or family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2) 24. Treatment with other weight loss (e.g., phentermine), or FDA-approved, non-NRT smoking cessation therapies (varenicline, bupropion) or FDA-approved AUD medications (naltrexone, acamprosate, disulfiram) or off-label AUD medications (e.g., topiramate) in the past 90 days 25. Any health condition or treatment/medication that would preclude use of tirzepatide or NRT, in the opinion of the site physicians including thyroid enlargement.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
4 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90033, United States
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University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60637, United States
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University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
RECRUITINGAurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
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Yale University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGNew Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a brain scan tailor TMS to quiet cigarette cravings?
- Practice quitting: a new way to help smokers who Aren't ready to stop?