The new study presented in this year’s European Congress for obesity (ECO 2025) found that patients on an online obesity clinical clinical achieved similar weight loss to that reported in clinical trials – but less than half of medication. The study is to be published in the magazine Lancet Digital Health.
Patients who followed the program had an average weight loss of 16.7% (16.8kg/2st 9LB) after 64 weeks, which is equivalent to that observed in randomized controlled tests of the same drug, semicglitis, peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist.
Achieving the same weight loss in everyday life, such as in the narrowly controlled conditions of a clinical trial, while using lower doses of drugs, has many potential benefits, from lower costs and fewer side effects for patients, to ensure that the drug reserves are further.
Dr. Henrik Gudbergsen, EMBLA’s lead researcher and chief physician, an online weight loss service
Semiaglutide and other GLP-1 fighters for weight loss had impressive results in clinical trials. However, real world tests have reported less weight loss and do not have details on whether patients also make lifestyle changes that will increase the likelihood of achieving optimum weight loss.
The results of the test in real world also suggest that few patients follow the standard dosage program, with most remaining in lower doses.
In the first study of his kind, Dr. Gudbergsen and his colleagues at the University of Copenhagen evaluated the real effects of an internet weight loss program that provides intensive behavioral therapy and tips on nutrition and exercise, as well as the doses of Imaglutidis.
The cocktail study included 2,694 people in Denmark (78% female, average age of 47 years, average BMI 34.3, a medium of body weight 100.5kg/15st 12LB) enrolled in a weight management program running through the EMBLA application, available in Denmark and the United Kingdom.
The program included tips on healthy eating, increasing exercise and how to use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other therapies to overcome psychological barriers to weight loss, access to doctors, nurses and psychologists through AI
The standard dosage schedule, in which a low initial dose of 0.25 mg once a week increases every four weeks for 16 weeks at a maximum dose of 2.4 mg (which the patient remains until the treatment is completed), was adapted to individual patients.
Patients received the lowest effective dose and increases were only examined if they had stopped making progress. If they maintained a weekly weight reduction> 0.5% of their body weight and experienced manageable levels of side effects and hunger, they remained in the existing dose. The treatment continued in this way until they reached their desired weight or a BMI of 25 – an approach known as a “treatment for targeting”.
After 26, 64 and 76 weeks, 1,580, 712 and 465 patients, respectively, were still involved in the program.
The average weight loss between those still involved in the program was 12.2% (12.2kg/1st 13LB) per week 26, 16.2% (16.3kg/2st 8LB) per week 52 and 16.7% (16.8kg, 2st 9LB) per week 64.
Researchers note that this is similar to weight loss of 15-16% at 64 weeks achieved by patients involved in clinical trials in which semiaglutide was combined with lifestyle interventions such as calorie-controlled diets and behavioral treatment.1-3
However, it was achieved by less than half of the drug used in clinical trials. The average dose of Imagliditis in this study was about 1mg/week and only 28.8% of patients reached doses higher than it.
On the contrary, about 90% of patients in clinical trials reached doses of 2.4 mg/week.
Dr. Gubdergsen, who is also an Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, says: “Combining nutrition and exercise tips with psychological training and personalization of the doses of the patients’ patients, it was possible to achieve the same amount of weight loss.”
About 98% of 515 patients with reported weight in weeks 52-64 achieved at least 5% weight loss and 82%, 51% and 23% achieved 10%, 15% and 20% weight loss respectively.
Females had higher weight loss than males (17.6 % versus 13.4 %) and patients who used electronic application lost more weight than those who used it less.
The analysis also found that the weight loss of patients was similar, regardless of the original BMI, age or amount of Imagliditis used. In other words, the lower doses of semiaglitis were as effective as the highest.
Side effects, such as nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, were generally mild and transient.
Study restrictions include the use of self -reported data and the lack of control group.
Dr. Gudbergsen concludes: “Our results show that by providing personalized doses of semiaglitis along with nutrition, exercise and psychological support, patients can achieve clinical weight loss at their daily lives.
The “target-treatment” approach, in which the amount of drugs were adapted to the goals of each patient, allowed us to maintain doses as low as possible, which should mean lower costs and fewer side effects for patients.
“This approach was effective in all age groups and all the original weights in both sexes.”
