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Liraglutide: A Review of Its Use in the Management of Obesity

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Abstract

Globally, obesity has reached epidemic proportions and poses an ever increasing burden from a societal and healthpayer perspective. Although lifestyle interventions are fundamental in its management, in the real world setting most obese or overweight adults require adjunctive pharmacotherapy to achieve clinically relevant reductions in bodyweight (i.e. a ≥5 % reduction). Subcutaneous liraglutide (Saxenda®) 3 mg once daily is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic bodyweight management in adults with an initial body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m2 (obese) or a BMI of ≥27 kg/m2 (overweight) and at least one bodyweight-related comorbidity [e.g. hypertension, dyslipidaemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus or obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA)]. In phase III trials (32 or 56 weeks’ duration) in these populations, subcutaneous liraglutide was associated with clinically relevant reductions in fasting bodyweight and was generally well tolerated. Liraglutide was significantly more effective than placebo in terms of reductions in fasting bodyweight and waist circumference, and improvements in some biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. Improvements in bodyweight were maintained after up 2 years of liraglutide therapy. In nondiabetic adults with moderate to severe OSA, liraglutide improved apnoea-hypopnoea index scores at 32 weeks, which was largely driven by significant reductions in bodyweight. In the absence of head-to-head trials, the relative position of individual anti-obesity drugs remains to be fully determined. In the meantime, liraglutide is an emerging option, as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, for chronic bodyweight management in obese adults and overweight adults with at least one bodyweight-related comorbidity.

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Disclosure

The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding. During the peer review process, the manufacturer of the agent under review was offered an opportunity to comment on this article. Changes resulting from comments received were made by the author on the basis of scientific and editorial merit. Lesley Scott is a salaried employee of Adis/Springer.

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    Lesley J. Scott

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Correspondence to Lesley J. Scott.

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The manuscript was reviewed by: M. C. Mancini, Sao Paulo University, Endocrinology and Metabology Service, Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Group, Sao Paulo, Brazil; J. L. Pérez-Castrillón, Rio Hortega University Hospital, University of Valladolid, Institute of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Valladolid, Spain; T. Tzotzas, Agios Pavlos General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; W. M. Valencia, Geriatrics Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) and Endocrine Section, Miami VA Medical Center, Miami, FL, USA.

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Scott, L.J. Liraglutide: A Review of Its Use in the Management of Obesity. Drugs 75, 899–910 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-015-0408-8

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