The association between previous use of anti‐obesity medication and semaglutide weight loss outcomes

Abstract

AimsTo compare weight loss outcomes between patients starting semaglutide who had previously been on another anti‐obesity medication (AOM) compared to those who were AOM‐naïve.Materials and MethodsWe performed a retrospective study in patients with overweight or obesity taking semaglutide for weight loss for a duration of 3 to 12 months. Our primary endpoint was assessment of percentage of total body weight loss (TBWL) in patients who started semaglutide as their first AOM (AOM‐naïve) compared to those who started semaglutide and had previously taken another AOM (non‐AOM‐naïve). The secondary outcome was a comparison of the proportions of patients achieving ≥5%, ≥10%, ≥15% and ≥20% TBWL between the groups. Our endpoints were analysed using independent t‐tests and ANOVA/ANCOVA for continuous variables and Pearson's test for categorical variables.ResultsThis study included 305 patients. Outcomes of semaglutide treatment were superior in AOM‐naïve patients (n = 231) compared to non‐AOM‐naïve patients (n = 74) at 3 (6.3% vs. 3.8%), 6 (10.6% vs. 6.7%), 9 (14.0% vs. 9.1%) and 12 months (14.3% vs. 10.6%; p < 0.0001 at 3, 6 and 9 months, and p = 0.01 at 12 months). A greater proportion of patients in the AOM‐naïve group achieved a TBWL ≥ 15% (48% vs 21%; p = 0.02) and ≥20% (27% vs 4% p < 0.01) at 12 months.ConclusionThe use of semaglutide in patients with previous intake of other AOMs was associated with inferior weight loss outcomes in comparison to patients who were AOM‐naïve.

Pharmacovigilance study of GLP-1 receptor agonists for metabolic and nutritional adverse events

“…Differences in individual specificity and tolerance to GLP-1 RAs may be the main reason for differences in weight loss ( Ruder, 2023 ), with racial differences also contributing ( Dobbie et al, 2024 ). Meanwhile, the recent observation that previous use of anti-obesity medication is associated with poorer weight loss outcomes with semaglutide further expands our knowledge that GLP-1 RAs produce poor weight loss ( Ghusn et al, 2024 ).…”