Mayo Clinic scientists found that the drug Wegovy (semaglutide) helped reduce body weight by an average of 13% per year. The study was presented at the European Obesity Congress meeting in Dublin. Results are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
To test the efficacy of semaglutide, the study authors used data from 305 patients with an average age of 49 years. The average body mass index of the participants was 41, indicating morbid obesity.
A year later, the researchers had complete weight loss data for 110 people. In this subgroup, patients lost an average of 13.4% of their body weight. This figure has reached almost 17% in people without diabetes, compared to about 10% in people with diabetes.
The drug also caused a significant reduction in high blood pressure and total cholesterol.
Wegovy is a self-injecting syringe. It was originally used as a medicine for diabetics, but was later approved for obese people with at least one weight-related health issue.
The authors emphasized that the drug is intended to be used in combination with a low-calorie diet and constant physical activity, otherwise some of the weight may return.
“This drug has shown superior weight loss results compared to all previously approved and tested anti-obesity drugs,” the authors write.