Patients could wean themselves off blockbuster obesity drugs such as Ozempic or Wegovy without piling the pounds back on, according to a scientific study.
Data presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy on Sunday provides some of the first evidence that it could be possible to stop taking Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic or Wegovy and not regain any weight that has been lost — as long as a healthy lifestyle is maintained.
When drugs like Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound were first launched, they were pitched as long-term medicines, with research indicating that patients regain large amounts of the weight they have lost when they stop taking the drugs.
Many doctors believe the obese must take the weekly shots for life. But a study of 2,246 people suggests injections can be prescribed at much lower doses and even stopped if patients get help to improve their diets and lifestyles. Some 200 who cut down and stopped had not put weight back on six months later, the European Congress on Obesity in Venice heard.
Dr Henrik Gudbergsen said: “We used to think these drugs are for ever or you put the weight back on. Now, we know that’s too simplistic.” Research was done on users of semaglutide, known by brand names Wegovy and Ozempic, at Embla, a weight loss clinic in Denmark. The jabs mimic the hormone GLP-1 to reduce appetite, slow food release from the stomach and increase feelings of fullness.
A previous trial found one in six stopped taking the jabs after suffering side-effects like vomiting, diarrhoea and headaches. Patients working with doctors and counsellors at Embla to taper their doses managed to lose the same amount – around 15% of their body weight – but only needed a third of the current standard dose.
And 240 participants decided to stop altogether, with only 46 restarting due to small weight gain. Dr Gudbergsen, Embla’s chief medical officer, said: “The dose really doesn’t matter. They lose the same weight regardless. That is important in that we can achieve a personalised dose and help minimise side-effects and lifelong dependency.”