Patients with obesity who take GLP-1 receptor agonists in real-world settings lose significantly less weight than participants in randomized clinical trials, according to new research.
Popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound produce significantly less weight loss in real-world settings than in clinical trials, a new study finds.
The average patient lost 8.7% of their body weight after a year — much less than the 15-21% weight loss achieved in clinical trials.
The researchers say two major factors appear to be driving these results.
· Higher rates of discontinuation in the real-world
· Lower maintenance doses being used in clinical practice
The study included nearly 7,900 people with obesity who began treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide in a real-world setting between 2021 and 2023.
More than 20% of the patients discontinued their medications within 3 months and 32% quit between 3 and 12 months,
In addition, more than 80% of the participants were given lower maintenance doses than used in the trials.
After one year, the average weight reduction was 3.6% in people who discontinued their treatment early — compared to 6.8% among those who quit later. Patients who did not stop treatment lost, on average, 11.9% of their body weight.
Stopping treatment also negatively impacted blood sugar control in patients with pre-diabetes, according to the results
The lead author says, “This study highlights that treatment discontinuation, especially early, negatively affects both weight and glycemic control outcomes.”
More study is needed to determine why patients discontinue their obesity meds in a real-world setting.
Source: Obesity
Author Affiliations: Cleveland Clinic
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