Type 2 diabetes weight loss treatment breakthrough
A study showing how a newly approved obesity treatment can help shed the pounds in people with Type 2 diabetes represents a breakthrough in weight loss management, according to leading diabetes researcher Professor Melanie Davies (pictured), Professor of Diabetes Medicine at the Leicester Research Centre, who led the large international study involving nine countries.
Among overweight and obese people with Type 2 diabetes, a daily injection of liraglutide at a dose of 3.0 mg, in addition to diet and exercise, resulted in greater weight loss over 56 weeks compared with placebo, according to a study published today in the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association).
Liraglutide is a medication already approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes (administered once daily at doses of 1.2 mg and 1.8 mg) but this trial has shown that with a dose of 3.0 mg liraglutide can help further weight loss in participants who were overweight or obese and had Type 2 diabetes. This evidence has supported the approval of the 3.0mg dose as a weight loss treatment in Europe.
Professor Davies said: “This is the first study specifically designed to investigate the efficacy of liraglutide for weight management in patients with Type 2 diabetes and also the first study to investigate liraglutide at the higher 3.0mg dose in a population with Type 2 diabetes.
“Weight loss is especially challenging for individuals with Type 2 diabetes, who often experience a reduced response to weight-management pharmacotherapies compared with individuals without diabetes. The treatment options are extremely limited in Europe and so this additional option treatment to clinicians and patients is very welcome.
“The findings from this study are significant because they represent a breakthrough in weight loss treatment, paving the way to improved glycemic control.”