A Clinical Trial Using Tirzepatide to Help Adults With Type 1 Diabetes Automatically Control Their Blood Sugar

Summary

This research study is testing whether a weekly medication called tirzepatide can help adults with type 1 diabetes use their insulin pump more easily, specifically by reducing or eliminating the need to count carbohydrates at meals.

People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin for life, and even with advanced insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors, many still struggle to keep blood sugar within the target range. One of the biggest challenges is carbohydrate counting, which requires estimating the amount of carbohydrates in every meal to give the correct insulin dose.

Tirzepatide is a medication currently approved for type 2 diabetes and weight management. Early research suggests it may also help people with type 1 diabetes by lowering appetite, slowing digestion, reducing insulin needs, and smoothing after-meal blood sugar rises.

This study will include 105 adults with type 1 diabetes at centers in Canada and Switzerland. Everyone will use the Tandem Control-IQ insulin pump with a Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups:

Tirzepatide group:

Participants receive weekly tirzepatide injections. After the dose is gradually increased over 12 weeks, they will eventually try using their insulin pump without entering carbohydrate amounts at meals.

Control group:

Participants continue their usual therapy and keep counting carbohydrates for their mealtime insulin doses.

The main goal of the study is to learn whether people taking tirzepatide can safely maintain good blood sugar control without counting carbs, compared with standard care. All participants will attend several clinic visits and share their glucose, insulin, and health data throughout the 32-week trial. Some centers will also conduct heart/fitness, or body-composition tests.

As with any medication, tirzepatide may cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or decreased appetite. Rare but serious risks like gallbladder disease or pancreatitis are also monitored. Pregnancy must be avoided during the trial.

Overall, this study aims to understand whether adding tirzepatide to automated insulin delivery can simplify diabetes management, reduce burden, and maintain safe and effective glucose control for adults living with type 1 diabetes.

Conditions

• Type 1 Diabetes
• Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
• T1D
• T1DM
• T1DM - Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Interventions

DRUG

Tirzepatide

Tirzepatide, administered as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection, initiated at 2.5 mg and escalated in 2.5-mg increments every 4 weeks to a target of 10 mg or the maximally tolerated dose, used as an adjunct therapy in adults with type 1 diabetes using the Tandem Control-IQ automated insulin delivery system.

DEVICE

Tandem Control-IQ Automated Insulin Delivery System (with Dexcom G7 CGM)

This intervention uses the Tandem t:slim X2 insulin pump with the Control-IQ automated insulin delivery algorithm, integrated with the Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor. The system adjusts basal insulin and delivers automated correction boluses based on real-time glucose values. All participants receive standardized training and use this system for the full 32-week study. Rapid-acting insulin compatible with Control-IQ is required. This intervention is distinguished by its use under two different operational strategies: standard carbohydrate counting in the control arm and complete omission of meal announcements during the final 6 weeks in the tirzepatide arm.

BEHAVIORAL

Carbohydrate Counting

Participants enter the estimated carbohydrate amount for every meal and snack into the Tandem Control-IQ insulin pump to calculate and deliver prandial insulin boluses. This reflects standard use of hybrid closed-loop systems. The procedure is maintained for the entire 32-week study in the control arm and during Weeks 1-26 in the tirzepatide arm.

BEHAVIORAL

No Meal Announcement

Participants do not enter carbohydrate amounts or announce meals to the Tandem Control-IQ system. The pump operates without user-initiated prandial boluses, relying solely on automated basal adjustments and automated correction boluses. This intervention is implemented only in the tirzepatide arm during Weeks 27-32.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Breakthrough T1D

  collaborator OTHER

• Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal

  collaborator OTHER

• Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern

  collaborator OTHER

• Melissa-Rosina Pasqua

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Melissa-Rosina Pasqua, MD-PhD · McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

• Ahmad Haidar, PhD · McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-01-05

Primary Completion

2028-01-31

Completion

2029-01-31

FDA Drug

Yes

FDA Device

Yes

Countries

• Canada
• Switzerland

Study Locations