The short answer
A small exenatide trial found almost identical weight loss with medication and placebo. It shows why the medicine, population and study design matter.
Who took part?
Researchers randomized 45 adults with obesity and schizophrenia-spectrum conditions who were taking antipsychotics, without diabetes. They received weekly exenatide 2 mg or placebo for three months.
Trial staff administered injections. Participants received no structured diet or exercise instructions.
Kilograms lost; completer analysis
Original visual based on the study.
| Group or measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Exenatide 2 mg weekly | 2.24 kg |
| Placebo | 2.23 kg |
What happened?
Among the 40 people who completed treatment, average weight loss was 2.24 kg with exenatide and 2.23 kg with placebo. The study did not detect an added weight-loss effect.
Diarrhea and fatigue were reported more often with exenatide. Two exenatide participants stopped because of digestive side effects. Investigators judged six serious events across both groups unrelated to study medication.
What does this mean?
This was a short, small study analyzed mainly among completers. It cannot establish that every GLP medicine performs the same way in this population.
University, health-service and foundation grants supported the investigator-led trial.
A later correction changed secondary blood-test analyses; the main weight result was unchanged.
Sources
Ishøy and colleagues, Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2017 · Correction, 2018