Injectable prescription appetite suppressants — such as Ozempic, Saxenda and Mounjaro — have grown in popularity greatly in recent years.
Now, Cleveland Clinic researchers may have figured out which patients have the best chance for success. Women who take Wegovy to treat obesity are more likely to achieve 10% or more weight loss in a year, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open.
“We found that long-term weight reduction varied significantly based on the drug’s active agent, treatment indication, dose, and drug durability,” said Dr. Hamlet Gasoyan, the study’s lead author and a researcher with the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Value-Based Care. Research.
The researchers studied only two types of drugs that mimic the hormone GLP-1 to make people feel fuller for longer – semaglutide and liraglutide.
Semaglutide is sold as Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and as Wegovy for obesity.
Wegovy is usually prescribed in a slightly higher dose than Ozempic.
Saxenda and Victoza contain liraglutide – Saxenda, which comes in a higher dose, is for weight loss while Victoza is for type 2 diabetes.
Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk makes Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda and Victoza.
Other GLP-1 drugs include dulaglutide (Trulicity) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound).
The Cleveland Clinic study included data from about 3,400 obese adults who received injectable semaglutide or liraglutide between 2015 and 2022.
Nearly 43% of participants were given liraglutide for type 2 diabetes, 39.6% were given semaglutide for diabetes, 11.1% were given semaglutide for obesity, and 6.7% were given liraglutide for obesity.
On average, semaglutide led to a weight loss of 5.1% versus 2.2% for liraglutide.
A higher dose of either drug resulted in a 6.6% weight loss versus 3.5% for a lower dose.
Those taking the obesity drug experienced a 5.9% drop in weight compared to 3.2% for the diabetes treatment.
People who took the drug for at least a year experienced more weight loss (5.5%) than people who took it for 90 to 275 days (2.8%) and less than 90 days (1.8%).
Among one-year patients, 61% of semaglutide users treated for obesity achieved weight loss of 10% or more.
This score was reached by 28.6% of those taking liraglutide for obesity, 23.1% of semaglutide diabetics and 12.3% of liraglutide diabetics.
Gasoyan hopes these findings will help patients and providers set realistic weight loss goals.
“Having real-world data can help manage expectations regarding weight loss with GLP-1 RA medications and reinforce that persistence is key to achieving meaningful results,” Gasoyan said.
Dr. David Pechman, director of bariatric surgery at South Shore University Hospital, said this research could help guide decision-making.
“Many doctors are at the beginning of their learning curve with prescribing these medications, and each clinical study is continuing to provide insight into their risks and benefits,” Pechman, who was not involved in the research, told The Post. . “I look forward to further studies and the inclusion of tirzepatide, which is also increasingly being prescribed.”
The study results come amid unprecedented demand for GLP-1 drugs — despite reports that the drugs can cause stomach paralysis, intestinal damage and even death.
As Novo Nordisk develops a pill that could lead to even greater weight loss, scientists are trying to figure out what else these drugs can treat besides obesity and diabetes.
#Female #Wegovy #users #greatest #chance #weight #loss #study
Image Source : nypost.com