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A landmark study found that a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes is also effective in helping obese people lose weight.
Semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempicand Rybelsus, has been given to adults with an average BMI of 38.
The 2.4 mg dose was administered once a week, via a subcutaneous injection, such as an insulin injection. More than a third (35%) of people who took the drug lost more than a fifth of their total body weight.
Three-quarters (75%) of people who took semaglutide lost more than 10% of their body weight.
Researchers say the results are a game-changer, as weight loss can be achieved in people who might otherwise need surgery.
Among people taking semaglutide, the average weight loss was 15.3 kg, with a decrease in BMI minus 5.54.
The placebo group observed an average weight loss of 2.6 kg, with a decrease in BMI of minus 0.92, five times less than those using the drug.
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The results are well received for its ability to improve the health of obese people.
Semaglutide is already approved for human use, but it is generally prescribed for diabetics at a dose of 1 mg. The latest semaglutide study is currently in phase III with an overdose of 2.4 mg.
With the evidence from this trial, semaglutide has been submitted for regulatory approval as a treatment for obesity to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the Food and Drug Administration. (FDA) of the United States.
The drug works by bypassing the body’s appetite regulating system in the brain, which reduces hunger and calorie intake.
Nearly 2,000 people were recruited for the study in 16 countries, spanning over a year and starting in the fall of 2018.
“The results of this study represent a major step forward in improving the health of obese people. And three-quarters (75%) of people who took 2.4 mg of semaglutide lost more than 10, ”said Rachel Batterham, professor of obesity and diabetes. and endocrinology at the University of California, which led the research.% of their body weight and over a third have lost more than 20%. No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss – it is a game changer. For the first time, people can achieve with medication what was only possible with weight reduction surgery ”.
Ordinary participants lost 15.3 kg in the experiment, according to the study published in New England Medicine.
This has been accompanied by a decrease in waist circumference, blood fat, blood sugar and blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Some participants reported side effects from the drug, including nausea and mild to moderate diarrhea that was transient and usually resolved without discontinuing the study permanently.
This will require close monitoring, says Dr Baptiste Laurent of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in the study.
“We also need to better understand what happens after treatment is stopped and whether it can be taken for a shorter period of time,” he adds.
Source: Daily Mail
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