Patients can quit popular anti-obesity drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy without gaining extra pounds, according to a scientific study.
The data, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy, on Sunday, provides some of the first evidence that it is possible to stop taking Ozempic or Vegovi from Novo Nordisk and not regain lost weight – as long as a healthy lifestyle is maintained.
When drugs like Eli Lilly’s Ozempic and Zepbound were first marketed, they were marketed as long-acting medications, with studies showing that patients regained much of the weight they lost when they stopped taking the drugs.
A Danish study of patients taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, along with a weight management program delivered through the Embla app, suggests that tapering the drug’s dosage gradually – rather than stopping hard – could potentially prevent weight regain.
However, the sample of patients who discontinued semaglutide included only 353 patients, which is a small study size. These patients achieved their target weight and tapered their semaglutide dose over nine weeks. Patients continued to lose weight as the dose was reduced, losing an average of 2.1% over nine weeks.
The study also suggests that patients can maintain their weight for several months after quitting smoking. The researchers had data on 85 patients 26 weeks after stopping semaglutide and found that they maintained a stable weight.
“The combination of support with lifestyle changes and gradual dose reduction appears to allow patients to avoid weight regain after stopping semaglutide,” Henrik Gudbergsen, lead investigator and chief medical officer at Embla, said in a statement.
A $100 Billion Market
Obesity drugs have led to increased investment and a race to capture a market that Goldman Sachs analysts predict could reach $100 billion by 2030.
The study also looked at changing how the dose of semaglutide is increased when patients start taking the drug. 2,246 patients in the larger study began taking semaglutide on the recommendation of a dietitian. Through Embla they also had access to doctors, nurses and psychologists.
Patients’ doses were carefully monitored and increased more slowly than with standard treatment. The average weight loss was 14.8% at 64 weeks, which is similar to other studies of semaglutide.