April 2023

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists are an extremely popular medication class used to treat Type 2 Diabetes. However, due to their positive side effect of weight loss, these medications are also starting to be prescribed in that direction. The FDA has recently approved two such medications for chronic weight management: Wegovy and Sexenda. Wegovy is the brand name of a high-dose molecule known as Semaglutide. Sexenda is the high-dose brand name of another drug compound known as Liraglutide. Both Semaglutide and Liraglutide are prescribed in lower doses, the brand names Ozempic and Victoza, respectively, for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. After Wegovy and Sexenda entered the market, scientists wondered which was better for weight loss. 

In this study, the researchers studied people who were either overweight (a BMI of 27 and above) with one weight-related comorbidity, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or obese without any such comorbidities. However, members of both groups did not have diabetes, as the emphasis of this study was to examine weight loss. Wegovy, a 2.4 mg dose of Semaglutide administered once a week, was given to one group over a period of 68 weeks. On the other hand, Sexenda, a daily 3.0 g dose of Liraglutide, was given to the other group. The FDA approved Wegovy and Sexenda for weight loss with diet and exercise. As a result, the researchers provided both groups counseling from healthcare professionals about their adherence to a lower caloric dietary intake and a fitness regimen (consisting of the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week) in order to best replicate the effectiveness of each medication for weight management. By the end of the trial, it was observed that Wegovy resulted in more weight loss than Sexenda.

The study concluded that Wegovy was superior for weight management compared with Sexenda. The mean weight change from baseline for Wegovy was -15.8% (meaning they experienced an average of 15.8% weight loss), while the Sexenda group only had a -6.4% (meaning they experienced an average of 6.4% weight loss). Additionally, it was found that patients had significantly higher chances of achieving 10%, 15% and 20% weight loss with Wegovy than Sexenda. Although both medications are effective for chronic weight management, by the end of the trial it was determined that Wegovy achieved more weight loss than Sexenda. 

Reference: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2787907