Study into anti-obesity jab backs gradual reduction of drug

RESEARCH has found that gradually bringing patients off anti-obesity jabs over a longer period could be effective in helping them to avoid regaining weight.

A lower dose of the drug combined with lifestyle changes could also be effective for weight loss, according to researchers.

They claim tailoring dosages to each individual patient would be cheaper and could help tackle shortages of the drug semaglutide, as well as minimising side-effects such as diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and dizziness.

The research, which is being presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, included 2,246 people from Denmark who were enrolled in a weight management programme through the Embla app.

The programme gives advice on diet and exercise, as well as access to clinicians and a course of semaglutide.

Semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, works by targeting an area of the brain that regulates appetite. Also known as GLP-1 agonists, the drug helps increase the production of insulin and was originally developed for managing type 2 diabetes.

The recommended initial dose of Ozempic and Wegovy is 0.25mg once a week for four weeks. This is gradually increased every month to a maximum of 2mg weekly for Ozempic and 2.4mg for Wegovy.

For the study, patients were initially prescribed the lowest dose, but this was only increased if they stopped making progress.

If side-effects and hunger were manageable, and patients maintained a weekly weight loss of 0.5 per cent of their body weight, they remained on the same dose.

After 76 weeks, 185 patients were still taking part in the study, with an average weight loss of 14.9kg. The average maximum dose of semaglutide reached in the study was 0.77mg.

Lead researcher Dr Henrik Gudbergsen, who is chief medical officer at Embla, said: “Our results show that weight loss is achievable regardless of initial BMI and the amount of semaglutide used.

“Using lower doses of semaglutide is cheaper for patients, results in fewer side-effects and helps ensure that stocks of the drug, which are still limited, go further.”

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) approved the use of Wegovy for weight loss on the NHS in England last year.

However, Ozempic and Rybelsus are only recommended on the NHS to help patients with diabetes manage their condition.

Nice recommends patients in England should stop using semaglutide after a maximum of two years.