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Photo by Haberdoedas on Unsplash

What factors affect the success of weight loss drugs?

Embargoed until: Publicly released:
Peer-reviewed: This work was reviewed and scrutinised by relevant independent experts.

Observational study: A study in which the subject is observed to see if there is a relationship between two or more things (eg: the consumption of diet drinks and obesity). Observational studies cannot prove that one thing causes another, only that they are linked.

People: This is a study based on research using people.

There are certain characteristics that could influence people’s weight loss after taking GLP-1RA drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, according to international researchers. The team analysed data on 679 patients with overweight or obesity who started taking GLP-1RAs between November 2022 and October 2024. They found longer duration of GLP-1RA treatment, using semaglutide, not having diabetes, and having a higher percentage of body fat were associated with better weight reduction over 12 months. Higher metabolic rate, skeletal muscle mass, muscle mass of the abdomen and limbs, and serum creatinine were also associated with better probabilities of successful weight loss.

Journal/conference: Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism

Research: Paper

Organisation/s: Peking University People’s Hospital, China

Funder: See paper for funding.

Media release

From: Wiley

Which factors affect the success of popular prescription weight loss drugs in individuals?

A study in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism has identified certain characteristics that might influence people’s weight loss after taking prescription drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), such as semaglutide (sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy).

After analyzing data on 679 patients with overweight or obesity who initiated GLP-1RAs between November 2022 and October 2024, investigators found that longer duration of GLP-1RA treatment, using semaglutide, not having diabetes, and having a higher percentage of body fat were associated with better weight reduction over 12 months. Higher metabolic rate, skeletal muscle mass, muscle mass of the abdomen and limbs, and serum creatinine were also associated with better probabilities of successful weight loss.

“These findings may provide novel insights into the weight fluctuations after GLP-1RA treatment in the real-world setting, thereby advancing the development of individualized strategies with GLP-1RA therapy for patients with overweight or obesity,” said co–corresponding author Linong Ji, MD, of Peking University People’s Hospital, in Beijing

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