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Saxenda linked to reduced body weight, improved metabolic control
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Reduced body weight and improved metabolic control were found with once-daily subcutaneous Saxenda as an add-on to diet and exercise, according to recent study findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center, and colleagues conducted a 56-week, double blind study to evaluate 3,731 patients aged 18 years or older without type 2 diabetes and a BMI of at least 30 kg/m2 or a BMI of at least 27 kg/m2 if they had treated or untreated dyslipidemia or hypertension to determine the effect of Saxenda (liraglutide, Novo Nordisk) on weight management. Participants were randomly assigned to 3 mg once-daily subcutaneous liraglutide (n = 2,487) or placebo (n = 1,244) with counseling on lifestyle modification. Change in body weight and rate of patients losing at least 5% and more than 10% of their initial body weight were the primary endpoints.
Xavier Pi-Sunyer
The liraglutide group had a greater mean body weight loss (8 ± 6.7%) compared with the placebo group (2.6 ± 5.7%) after 56 weeks. Similarly, more patients in the liraglutide group lost 5% of their body weight, more than 10% of their body weight and more than 15% of their body weight compared with the placebo group.
HbA1c, fasting glucose and fasting insulin levels were reduced more in the liraglutide group compared with placebo. During an oral glucose tolerance test, lower plasma glucose levels and higher insulin and C-reactive protein levels were revealed with liraglutide compared with placebo. Participants with prediabetes in the liraglutide group revealed greater effects on HbA1c, fasting glucose and glucose levels during the OGTT compared with those without prediabetes (P < .001).
By week 56, systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased more in the liraglutide group compared with placebo. Also, greater improvements were seen in the liraglutide group for C-reactive protein, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and adiponectin compared with the placebo group.
“In conclusion, 3 mg of once-daily subcutaneous liraglutide, as an adjunct to diet and exercise, was associated with clinically meaningful weight loss in overweight or obese patients, with concurrent reductions in glycemic variables and multiple cardiometabolic risk factors, as well as improvements in health-related quality of life,” the researchers wrote.
In an accompanying editorial, Elias S. Siraj, MD, and Kevin Jon Williams, MD, both of Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, wrote that the findings are promising.
“Still, liraglutide is no cure,” they wrote. “Most participants stayed obese, reversal of the metabolic syndrome was not quantified and liraglutide may be required indefinitely, like statins, but with delivery by injection and at a nontrivial cost. ... On the basis of the current study, modest weight loss may not be easier to achieve, yet we await the results from studies with longer follow-up.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: Pi-Sunyer reports receiving fees for serving on advisory boards from Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk and Weight Watchers. Siraj reports receiving consulting, advisory board and travel fees from Corcept. Williams reports owning stock in Hygieia Inc. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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