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Weight loss response in patients with obesity treated with injectable semaglutide in a real-world setting

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Abstract

Background

Obesity is defined as excess adipose tissue causing a deterioration in health, but diagnosing the causes and deciding on treatment can be challenging. Several randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT) have demonstrated the effectiveness of semaglutide as a treatment for obesity. This study investigated the clinical response to semaglutide as a weight loss treatment in a real-world setting.

Methods

This observational study investigated the response to injectable semaglutide in the first 3 months during the dose titration phase up to 1 mg. Weight loss after 6 months was also evaluated. The data were collected from the electronic medical records (EMR) from outpatient clinics between July 2021 to March 2023. All participants were older than 18 years, with no history of bariatric surgery within 1 year, and had a least one prescription of injectable semaglutide. The primary outcome was weight change at 3 months. Weight loss in those patients who attended at 6 months was a secondary outcome.

Results

A total of 350 patients were included in the study. The vast majority (80.3%) were female. 287 patients (82%) completed 3 months on injectable semaglutide and lost 6.6 ± 3.8% bodyweight. 224 patients (64%) completed 6 months on semaglutide and lost 12 ± 6.1% bodyweight. 188 (65.5%) of patients who completed 3-month follow-up lost ≥5% weight, 39 (13.5%) patients lost ≥10% weight, and 7 (2.4%) patients lost ≥15% weight. While for those patients who completed the 2nd visit (n = 224), 201 (89.7%) lost ≥5% weight, 135 (60.3%) lost ≥10% weight, and 54 (24.1%) lost ≥ 15% body weight.

Conclusion

Injectable semaglutide in a real-world setting resulted in similar weight loss and had a similar side effect profile as was observed in randomized controlled trials.

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Author contributions

Conceptualization, K.A., M.C. and C.W.l.R; methodology, K.A., M.C. and C.W.l.R.; formal analysis, K.A. and C.W.l.R; data curation, K.A., M.A., K.N., and M.C.; supervision, C.W.l.R; writing—original draft preparation, K.A. and M.A.; writing—review and editing, K.A., M.A., K.N., M.C. and C.W.l.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Diabetes Complications Research Centre, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, D04V1W8, Dublin, Ireland

    Khaled Alabduljabbar, Karl J. Neff & Carel W. le Roux

  2. Department of Family Medicine and Polyclinics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia

    Khaled Alabduljabbar

  3. Obesity, Endocrine and Metabolism Centre, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia

    Moath Alsaqaaby

  4. My Best Weight Clinic, Blackrock, A94A0D0, Dublin, Ireland

    Michael Crotty

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  1. Khaled Alabduljabbar
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  5. Carel W. le Roux
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carel W. le Roux.

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Conflict of interest

C.W. le Roux reports grants from the Irish Research Council, Science Foundation Ireland, Anabio, and the Health Research Board. He serves on advisory boards of Novo Nordisk, Herbalife, GI Dynamics, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi Aventis, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Glia, and Boehringer Ingelheim. He is a member of the Irish Society for Nutrition and Metabolism outside the area of work commented on here. He is the chief medical officer and director of the Medical Device Division of Keyron since January 2011. Both of these are unremunerated positions. C.W. le Roux was a previous investor in Keyron, which develops endoscopically implantable medical devices intended to mimic the surgical procedures of sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. He continues to provide scientific advice to Keyron for no remuneration. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics

This research complies with the guidelines for human studies and was conducted ethically in accordance with the World Medical Association the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee at St Vincent’s University Hospital (RCR22-031). Patient consent was waived due to the retrospective nature of the study.

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Alabduljabbar, K., Alsaqaaby, M., Neff, K.J. et al. Weight loss response in patients with obesity treated with injectable semaglutide in a real-world setting. Endocrine 83, 392–398 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-023-03534-0

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