Blood Sugar Drug Aids with Weight Loss in Type 2 Diabetes

A daily dose of the diabetes drug liraglutide was associated with a 4.7%-6% loss of body weight in overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

While previous research has shown that weight loss of 5% to 10% improves outcomes in type 2 diabetes, weight loss can be especially challenging for patients with the disease. For this reason, discovering new weight management pharmacolotherapies for these patients is a priority.
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In order to test the efficacy of liraglutide for weight management in patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers conducted a 56-week randomized, double-blind trial with 12 weeks of off-drug follow-up involving 846 participants randomized between once-daily 3 mg of liraglutide, 1.8 mg liraglutide, or placebo.

Participants were also required to follow a reduced-calorie diet and to increase exercise levels during the treatment period.

Overall, researchers found that patients taking 3 mg of liraglutide lost an average of 6% of their body weight (14.1 lbs), those taking 1.8 mg of liraglutide lost 4.7% of their body weight (11 lbs), and those taking placebo lost 2% of their body weight (4.8 lbs).

A ≥ 10% weight loss occurred in 25.2% treated with 3 mg of liraglutide, 15.9% treated with 1.8mg of liraglutide, and 6.7% given placebo.

“The findings from this study are significant because they represent a breakthrough in weight-loss treatment, paving the way to improved glycemic control," they concluded.

“Further studies are needed to evaluate longer-term efficacy and safety.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Davies MJ, Bergenstal R, Bode B, et al. Efficacy of liraglutide for weight loss among patients with type 2 diabetes. JAMA. 2015;314(7):687-699.