In recently published clinical trials, once-weekly subcutaneous injection of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide (Ozempic – Novo Nordisk), which is FDA-approved for treatment of type 2 diabetes and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, has reduced body weight significantly in patients with and without type 2 diabetes when given in addition to lifestyle intervention. Liraglutide (Saxenda), another GLP-1 receptor agonist, has been FDA-approved for chronic weight...

The injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide, previously approved by the FDA as Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes and to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, has now been approved in a higher dose as Wegovy (Novo Nordisk) for chronic weight management in adults with or without type 2 diabetes who have a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 or a BMI ≥27 kg/m2 and ≥1 weight-related comorbidity (e.g., hypertension, dyslipidemia). An oral formulation of semaglutide...

The injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide (Wegovy), which was approved by the FDA in 2021 for chronic weight management in adults, has now been approved for chronic weight management in children ≥12 years old with an initial BMI in the ≥95th percentile for age and sex.Semaglutide is also available as Ozempic and Rybelsus for treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults.

The FDA has approved setmelanotide (Imcivree – Rhythm), a subcutaneously injected melanocortin 4 (MC4) receptor agonist, for chronic weight management in patients ≥6 years old with obesity due to pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) deficiency, proprotein subtilisin/kexin type 1 (PCSK1) deficiency, or leptin receptor (LEPR) deficiency.

Adults with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2 are considered overweight. Those with a BMI ≥30 are considered obese. The initial recommendation for any weight loss effort is to achieve a 5-10% reduction in weight, which has been associated with a reduction in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Diet, exercise, and behavior modification are the preferred methods for losing weight, but long-term weight maintenance can be difficult. Several drugs and devices are FDA-approved for weight reduction and maintenance of weight...

Plenity (Gelesis), a nonsystemic oral superabsorbent hydrogel formulation of cellulose and citric acid is now available. It was cleared by the FDA in 2019 to aid in weight management together with diet and exercise in overweight and obese adults (BMI of 25-40 kg/m2). It is classified by the FDA as a device because the contents of the capsule are not absorbed systemically. Plenity is the first ingested, transient, space-occupying hydrogel to be marketed in the US and the only weight management treatment available by prescription for patients with a BMI of 25-30 kg/m2, regardless of...

The injectable glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist tirzepatide (Zepbound) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with obesity. It is the first drug to be approved in the US for this indication. Zepbound is also approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity and in those who are overweight and have at least one weightrelated comorbidity. Tirzepatide is also available as Mounjaro for treatment of type 2 diabetes.

View the Comparison Table: Some FDA-Approved Drugs for Weight Management

The injectable glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist tirzepatide, which was approved by the FDA as Mounjaro for treatment of type 2 diabetes in 2022, has now been approved as Zepbound (Lilly) for chronic weight management in adults who have a BMI ≥30 kg/m2 or a BMI ≥27 kg/m2 and at least one weight-related comorbidity. The injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists liraglutide (Saxenda) and semaglutide (Wegovy) are approved for chronic weight management in patients ≥12 years...

The injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide (Wegovy) has been approved by the FDA to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in adults with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) and either obesity or overweight. Semaglutide is the first drug to be approved for cardiovascular risk reduction in this population. It is also approved in a lower-dose injectable formulation as Ozempic and in an oral formulation as Rybelsus (see Table 1).