Research
Hormonal
Liraglutide is associated with the second-highest probability of achieving ≥5% weight loss but carries the highest odds of discontinuation due to adverse events among the studied agents.
Liraglutide is a highly effective daily injection for weight loss, ranking second only to phentermine-topiramate in success rates. However, it has the highest rate of side-effect-related discontinuation, so you must be prepared for potential gastrointestinal issues.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Compared with placebo, liraglutide (OR, 2.95; 95% CrI, 2.11-4.23)... were associated with the highest odds of adverse event–related treatment discontinuation.
Why this rating
Based on network meta-analysis of RCTs.
Source
Association of Pharmacological Treatments for Obesity With Weight Loss and Adverse Events
Rohan Khera et al. · JAMA · 2016
DOI 10.1001/jama.2016.7602
Meta-analysis · 28 studiesCited 849×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Among FDA-approved pharmacological treatments for obesity, phentermine-topiramate and liraglutide are associated with the highest probability of achieving at least 5% weight loss at 52 weeks compared to placebo.Good
- Orlistat is associated with the lowest probability of achieving ≥5% weight loss and the lowest magnitude of excess weight loss among the five FDA-approved agents studied.Good
Related findings · Hormonal
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- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
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