Weight Loss Drug Helps Obese Patients Lose Over 12lbs.

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The world has witnessed the rapid rise of obesity cases in just a short period of time. As obesity can cause fatal medical conditions, federal agencies and health organizations are now starting to depend on science to help generate a possible solution.

Propitiously, one study has discovered that an injectable, similar to an approved medication by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) used by individuals with type 2 diabetes, can assist in weight loss.

Time Magazine writes that based on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the injectable drug called Liraglutide has helped people reduce more than 12 pounds of their weight. This drug is said to copy the effects of an appetite-suppressing hormone found in the body.

Dr. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, director of the obesity center at Columbia University, explains that the injectable needs to be combined with proper diet and regular exercise to achieve its weight loss objectives, just like what the sample population has done during the study.

Live Science reports that the findings have been based on 3,731 participants with body mass index (BMI) ranging from 27 to 30, some of them having medical conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

From the group, about 2,500 participants have been given Liraglutide shots and 1,200 participants have been given placebo injections. After 56 weeks, the participants on Liraglutide lost an average of 18.5 pounds while participants on placebo have lost 6.4 pounds.

Based on the study, the participants have experienced several side effects, like nausea and diarrhea. Additional adverse effects like pancreatitis and gallbladder-related issues have also manifested in some patients, possibly due to their more than average weight loss.

Furthermore, Yahoo! News notes that breast cancer risk is another side effect of the injectable. Researchers believe that the reduction of weight has helped discovered more tumors in the breast.

Drawbacks, like the mentioned side effects, high cost of $1,000 for monthly treatment, the way it needs to be administered, and the fact that the drug usage has not yet been fully investigated, warrants caution when using the injectable.

Dr. Elias Siraj, who co-authored the editorial accompaniment in the journal and a medicine professor at Temple University School in Philadelphia, also tells Live Science that Liraglutide should not be considered as a cure for obesity, but is indeed a step forward in managing the global obesity epidemic.