Semaglutide is presently thought of higher for kidneys as a result of it has acquired U.S. approval to cut back the chance of worsening power renal illness |Picture used for representational functions solely
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Folks taking well-liked GLP-1 weight problems medication who stay on low starter doses will lose some weight however should still expertise uncomfortable side effects, though considerably much less nausea than those that graduate to larger manufacturer-recommended doses, a brand new research suggests.
And they’re unlikely to expertise the double-digit weight-loss percentages seen with the upper doses, the research discovered.
The GLP-1 medication semaglutide, offered as Ozempic and Wegovy by Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, offered underneath the model names Mounjaro and Zepbound, are prescribed initially at a low dose adopted by gradual titration to larger doses, to assist the physique regulate and decrease uncomfortable side effects.
Many sufferers by no means obtain the beneficial upkeep dose attributable to tolerability, entry, price, provide or their particular person targets.
Researchers analyzed knowledge on 534 sufferers who continued to take injectable semaglutide on the 0.25-milligram starter dose for a minimum of six months, and the identical variety of sufferers who stayed on tirzepatide on the 2.5-mg starter dose for a minimum of that lengthy.
At one yr, the share of physique weight misplaced on these lowest permitted doses averaged 5.5% with tirzepatide and a couple of.2% with semaglutide, researchers reported on Monday in Biology Strategies & Protocols.
By comparability, the common weight reduction at one yr on beneficial larger doses was 20.2% with tirzepatide and 13.7% with semaglutide in an earlier head-to-head trial.
The discovering that sufferers who by no means escalated previous the initiation dose nonetheless misplaced some weight suggests the medication have a measurable pharmacologic impact effectively under the upkeep doses that scientific trials have been constructed round, stated research chief Venky Soundararajan of information analytics agency nference.
Semaglutide is presently thought of higher for kidneys as a result of it has acquired U.S. approval to cut back the chance of worsening power renal illness. Tirzepatide just isn’t but permitted particularly for kidney safety.
Even on the decrease doses, kidney outcomes had been higher with semaglutide, Soundararajan famous.
Low-dose tirzepatide was related to larger charges of kidney harm after two years in 2.7% of sufferers versus 0.4% with semaglutide.
The Lilly drug additionally was related to extra constipation (32.6% vs 22.4%), muscle cramps (8.3% vs 4%), lumbar disc illness (3.3% vs 0.3%), shortness of breath on exertion (9.6% vs 6.8%), and different adversarial occasions.
Sufferers on sustained low-dose semaglutide had larger charges of ear irritation (5.6% vs 2.1% with tirzepatide), heavy sweating (5.5% vs 3.2%) and ankle swelling (6.9% vs 3.7%).
Sufferers who remained on the starter doses did have considerably much less nausea and constipation than has been
reported for sufferers taking larger doses, the research discovered.
Observational research comparable to this one can’t show trigger and impact, Soundararajan famous.
Novo Nordisk just lately launched a scientific trial to judge decrease upkeep doses of its Wegovy tablet, however outcomes are years away.
“Within the meantime, with real-world sufferers taking lower-than-recommended doses, there is a want for consciousness,” Soundararajan stated.
“These two medicines aren’t equal,” he continued. “Sufferers who aren’t aiming for 20% or 30% weight reduction have to know there’s an opportunity they will lose just a little weight on these low doses, they usually need to know the image across the adversarial occasion profile.”
Revealed – September 02, 2026 03:36 pm IST
