Weight loss drug shows promise among obese patients
According to Medpage Today, the newly-approved injectable obesity drug called liraglutide 3 mg showed great potential. It is because the majority of the obese participants are considered to be early responders who were able to lose weight within just 16 weeks of going through the liraglutide therapy.
Obesity has been one of the major problems of the world. Of course, there are a lot of dieting pills, exercise routines and other tips that are said to be intended for losing weight. However, only a few of them works. Also, those effective ones require great attention and sacrifice to achieve the weight, BMI and figure that a person is dreaming of.
Now, the introduction of liraglutide seems to be the hope to cure obesity in an efficient and effective manner.
In the study conducted to test the injectable obesity drug, 67.5 percent of obese and non-diabetic participants lost weight by five percent as early as four months.
The Healio also reported the recent result of the study. Those participants who lost weight by 5 percent at 16 weeks showed greater weight loss results at 56 weeks compared to those who did not lose weight at 4 weeks.
At the 56th week, those who are considered to be early responders or those who lost weight during the early stage of the study were able to lose 10 percent more body weight than the late responders. While the late responders also lost weight at 56 weeks, their results are not as overwhelming as the results achieved by the early responders.
According to John Wildim, DM, FRCP, a professor of medicine and an honorary consultant physician at the Clinical Sciences Center, those people who suffer from obesity but not with diabetes and who showed results during the early weeks of the therapy, have great possibilities of attaining promising and long-term weight loss results.
He also said that the tests for those with diabetes also showed the same result. Those obese and diabetic participants who are early responders also show greater chances of losing more weight in the long run. However, their weight loss is a little less than those who are not diabetic.
While the drug is really effective, it also has some side-effects, the Medline Plus reported. Fortunately, these are only minor side effects. Some of the possible side effects are constipation, headache, tiredness, heartburn, runny nose and rashes on the injection site.