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Diabetes injection more effective than orlistat for weight loss
Medical trials have revealed a diabetes injection, tested at 19 different hospitals, appears to help weight loss more than leading anti-obesity druh orlistat.
The Lancet study found the injection curbed patient’s hunger and had better weight loss results than the leading obesity drug orlistat. Liraglutide contains a satiety hormone and helps lower risk factors for diabetes.
When patients took the drug their chances of shedding notable amounts of weight doubled compared to those on orlistat.
But despite the results there were a number of drawbacks to the treatment. Firstly the drug is costly at £500 for six months of treatment and it has to be injected daily.
The longer-term risks of the drug are yet to be tested as the trial only ran for 20 weeks with just 564 participants.
During the trial three groups of patients were asked to exercise and reduce their diet by 500 calories a day. The first set was given a placebo, the second orlistat and the third liraglutide.
During the trial over three quarters of those on 3mg of liraglutide lost more than 50% weight, compared with 44% with 120mg of orlistat and 30% with a placebo.
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