The short answer
Daily liraglutide helped people lose more weight than placebo over 56 weeks. Both groups also received lifestyle support.
Who took part?
The trial enrolled 3,731 adults with overweight or obesity who did not have type 2 diabetes. Their average starting weight was 106.2 kg; most were women, and about 61% had prediabetes.
Kilograms lost
Original visual based on the study.
| Group or measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Liraglutide 3.0 mg | 8.4 kg |
| Placebo | 2.8 kg |
What changed?
Average weight loss was 8.4 kg with liraglutide 3.0 mg, versus 2.8 kg with placebo. These are kilograms, not percentages. The analysis used participants’ last available measurements to fill missing outcomes.
About 63% taking liraglutide lost at least 5% of their starting weight, compared with 27% taking placebo.
What were the trade-offs?
Nausea and diarrhea were the most common reported side effects, usually mild or moderate. Serious adverse events occurred in 6.2% versus 5.0%; that does not establish that treatment caused every event.
What this means
This study helped establish evidence for a daily GLP medicine in weight management. It did not compare liraglutide with newer weekly treatments, and its average is not an individual forecast.
Sources
Pi-Sunyer and colleagues, NEJM, 2015. Funded by Novo Nordisk.