To determine the effectiveness of the drug, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark conducted a 20-week weight loss trial on 564 obese adults without diabetes, aged 18-65, and with a body mass index
(BMI) of 30-40 from across Europe.
These adults were randomly assigned to receive daily injections of liraglutide, placebo injections (inactive form), and the weight loss drug orlistat to be taken orally three times a day.
For controlling weight gain, all the study subjects were prescribed low calorie diet, 500 fewer calories than what they were already having. They were also asked to increase their physical activity.
Higher doses of liraglutide promotes weight loss
After the 20 weeks trial, the researchers noted that those who were put on higher doses of liraglutide were found to lose more weight; as much as 15 pounds compared to 6 pounds in those who received placebo injections and 9 pounds in those who were put on orlistat.
It was also found that liraglutide cuts down the number of those who were in a pre-diabetic condition at the start of the trial by 84 to 96 percent.
Prof. Arne Astrup, head of the department of Human Nutrition at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, who led the study said, "The reason why we think this drug is so intriguing is that it mimics a gut hormone called GLP-1 which is released in the small intestine after eating.
"It tells the body to produce more insulin and the brain to stop eating. It is a naturally occurring satiety hormone. The problem is that it is eliminated from the blood stream within minutes. The company [Novo Nordisk] has added a molecule to make it more resistant to elimination, so it lasts for a full day," Astrup added.
Liraglutide’s limitations
Though liraglutide has proved successful in this trial, experts say that longer studies would be required to establish the effectiveness of the long-term use of this drug as a potential treatment for obesity.
Dr. Mitchell S. Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York said, "Drugs that can control diabetes, without causing weight gain, have huge potential. Furthermore, this group of patients is used to injections of insulin and Byetta. For a primary obesity drug to require injections would require blockbuster data."
Roslin further said, "As a weight-loss drug, liraglutide faces many hurdles."
The biggest limitation of this drug is that it is very expensive--£500 for six months of treatment. Also, it has to be injected each day otherwise it can break down the digestive system.
The study was funded by liraglutide’s manufacturer Novo Nordisk and appears in the journal Lancet.
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