Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Poor Weight-Loss Response to Incretin Receptor Agonists

Recruiting now · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Obesity & Overweight

In brief

This is a single-center, randomized, participant-blinded, sham-controlled trial designed to evaluate the adjunctive effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in overweight or obese patients who show a suboptimal weight-loss response to incretin receptor agonist therapy. A total of 24 participants will be randomly assigned to receive either taVNS plus tirzepatide 5 mg or sham stimulation plus tirzepatide 5 mg for 12 weeks. The primary objective is to compare the percent change in body weight from baseline to week 12 between the two groups.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07619989

Run by

The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School

People needed

24

Starts

2026-08-01

Expected to finish

2027-09-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-07-31

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 50. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Individuals with obesity, or overweight accompanied by at least one weight-related comorbidity (e.g., hypertension or fatty liver disease), who have been receiving tirzepatide therapy for at least 12 weeks and have achieved ≤10% weight loss during treatment;
• Willingness to provide written informed consent.

You may not qualify if…

• Presence of diseases that may substantially affect body weight homeostasis, including Cushing's syndrome, uncontrolled thyroid disease (thyroid-stimulating hormone >6.0 mIU/L or <0.4 mIU/L), malignancy, or similar conditions;
• Use within the past 3 months of medications, other than incretin receptor agonists, that may significantly affect body weight, including glucocorticoids and antipsychotic agents;
• Skin infection or damage involving the auricular area;
• Women planning pregnancy in the near future;
• Contraindications to MRI, such as metallic prostheses or claustrophobia;
• Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus; Inability to complete the 12-week intervention period for practical reasons, such as frequent business travel or planned travel.

Where it is running

• Department of Endocrinology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School — Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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