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(CNN) -
A diabetes drug injected once a week helped overweight and obese people lose an average of 15% of their body weight over 16 months, researchers reported Wednesday.
The manufacturer of the drug, which is called semaglutide, asked the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve it for chronic weight management.
If approved, it would be only the fifth prescription weight-loss drug on the US market.
Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor or agonist of GLP-1, a drug that increases insulin production.
But it also seems to suppress your appetite.
"Weight loss with semaglutide is due to a reduction in energy intake due to decreased appetite, which is believed to be the result of direct and indirect effects on the brain," Dr. Robert Kushner wrote in their report. from Northwestern University and colleagues around the country, published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The scientists tested semaglutide in 1,961 people who were overweight or obese.
A third received placebo plus diet advice and physical training, while two-thirds received the drug with the same diet and exercise plan.
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"The mean change in body weight from baseline to week 68 was 14.9% in the semaglutide group compared to 2.4% with placebo," Kushner's team wrote.
On average, people who took the drug lost 33 pounds or 15.3 kg.
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People who took the drug were more likely to experience nausea, diarrhea, vomiting or constipation, the researchers said.
Almost three-quarters did so, compared to just under half of those who took placebo.
But 80% of the volunteers endured the test that lasted almost a year and a half.
Researchers believe that at least some people would accept a drug injected once a week.
"Currently, approved anti-obesity drugs require administration once, twice or three times a day, and a once-a-week regimen can improve adherence to treatment," they wrote.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 42% of Americans are obese, which means they have a body mass index of 30 or more.
Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.
There are few good treatments for obesity.
The limitations of the study on obesity and diabetes
Dr. Julie Ingelfinger and Dr. Clifford Rosen of Tufts University, who were not involved in the study, called the study a "good start."
"The results are encouraging," they wrote.
But they saw great weaknesses.
“First, the demographics in this trial do not reflect the general US population, the majority of participants were white, with only 6% black or African-American and 12% Latino, while almost 40% of the country's population is not white, "they wrote in a comment in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Long-term efficacy was also not considered.
"In short, we have a long way to go to control the obesity epidemic," they wrote.
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Other outside researchers did not discuss the study, but noted that weight-loss medications have not worked well in real life.
Many have been recalled due to side effects.
"While a drug like this may be helpful in the short term for rapid weight loss in severe obesity, it is not a magic bullet for preventing or treating less severe degrees of obesity," said Tom Sanders, Professor Emeritus of Nutrition. at King's College London, in a statement.
'Public health measures that promote behavioral changes, such as regular physical activity and moderate energy intake in the diet, are still needed.
It is quite similar to the situation in which we find ourselves with the [coronavirus] vaccine: we still have to stick to public health measures and not become too dependent on drugs.
Few drugs are approved in the US specifically for weight loss.
These include orlistat, sold under the brand name Xenical, which helps reduce the amount of fat the body absorbs;
Qsymia, a drug that combines the appetite suppressant phentermine with the anticonvulsant drug topiramate;
Contrave, which combines the addiction drug naltrexone with the antidepressant bupropion;
and liraglutide or Saxenda, a diabetes medicine similar to semaglutide.
In general, these medications have been shown to help people lose 3% to 7% of body weight.
Diabetes Obesity Obesity in the United States
