Obesity or excess body weight has become a significant concern in the United States. Without effective weight control, it may result in other serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes or a significant risk of a near-fatal cardiovascular consequence. While bariatric surgery appears to be the only direct treatment, additional options include weight loss drugs such as semaglutide and liraglutide.
So, what is the difference between semaglutide and liraglutide? Weekly subcutaneous semaglutide injections resulted in greater weight loss from baseline body weight and had a bigger impact on hunger than once-daily subcutaneous liraglutide injections. Though semaglutide and liraglutide have similar adverse effects, the former has a somewhat higher incidence due to the need for higher dosages.
While they are manufactured by the same company, Novo Nordisk, they have several important distinctions. One of these is dosage size; weekly semaglutide injections begin at 0.25 mg and are gradually increased to 2.4 mg for best effectiveness. Daily subcutaneous liraglutide injections begin at 0.6 mg and end at 3 mg.
The dosage for both treatments is gradually increased to allow the body to adjust, reducing the likelihood and severity of an adverse event. Your doctor or healthcare provider will choose the rate of dosage increase while monitoring your body for any responses or adverse effects.
However, a clinical trial showed that semaglutide has a longer half-life than liraglutide, even though there is a possibility of a higher weekly dosage for subcutaneous injections. Liraglutide lasts 13 to 15 hours, but semaglutide lasts 165 hours. This means that once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide injections provide a longer-lasting and more prominent sense of fullness.
Another significant variation is in the prescription. Liraglutide was initially developed with obese adolescents as its primary target population. By focusing on children aged 12 to 17, the program helps to combat the obesity pandemic before they grow into overweight or obese adults. Semaglutide's research, including a clinical study, was prioritized above liraglutide due to its longer half-life.
If the patient is under the age of 18 and has been diagnosed with obesity, liraglutide may be a viable weight loss option in addition to direct weight loss treatment such as bariatric surgery. However, some may find the daily self-injections more inconvenient than the weekly semaglutide injections.
The study concluded that once-daily subcutaneous liraglutide injections may be effective for diabetic management. They found no significant difference in treatment satisfaction among patients with type 2 diabetes, indicating that it might be attributed to the glycemic control provided by liraglutide, notwithstanding the benefits of semaglutide.
Though these medicines can reduce cardiometabolic risks, improve glycemic control, normalize blood pressure levels, and make weight management easier, they have different weight reduction effects when combined with a healthy diet and exercise program.
In a landmark research released in March 2021, 1,961 obese adults without type 2 diabetes took part in a clinical trial in which they received 2.4mg once weekly subcutaneous semaglutide injections or a placebo over a 64-week period.
Participants in the semaglutide group lost an average of 14.9% of their initial body weight, compared to the placebo group's loss of 2.5%. The study also compared these results to the 4.0% to 10.9% baseline body weight of different anti-obesity drugs.
A 56-week clinical trial of liraglutide with overweight and obese adults without type 2 diabetes was conducted in 2015, according to the same medical publication. They were given either 3.0mg of liraglutide or a placebo injection every day.
The results showed that 63.2% of the patients in the liraglutide group dropped more than 5% of their baseline body weight, compared to 27.1% in the placebo group. Approximately 33.1% of the liraglutide group was able to lose more than 10% of their body weight. The liraglutide group lost an average of 8.4±7.3 kg, while the placebo group lost 2.8±6.5 kg.
Over a 68-week period, 338 persons with overweight or obesity who did not have type 2 diabetes received either a weight loss medication or a placebo.
The average weight loss was -15.8% in the semaglutide group and -6.4% in the liraglutide group. The researchers concluded that the weight loss difference between the two weight loss medicines is -9.4 percentage points with a 95 percent confidence interval (CI).
These trials show that semaglutide causes higher weight loss than liraglutide over a 68-week timeframe. However, this does not mean that liraglutide's weight loss is inconsequential; a 5% weight loss is enough to significantly improve your bod's general health.
Comparison of their expected side effects
Comparison of their expected side effects
Due to the effects these medications have on appetite, blood sugar, and digestion, some users may experience unpleasant side effects when they first start using them. Fortunately, the majority of these side reactions can be treated within the treatment timetable and by tailoring the diet to the body's requirements. If these unpleasant events persist for more than a few weeks, worsen, cause discomfort, or trigger an allergic reaction, get medical assistance right once.
Due to the larger dosage required in semaglutide injections, less side effects may occur more frequently than with liraglutide injections. In the clinical trial, 84.1% of the semaglutide group and 82.7% of the liraglutide group experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, indigestion, vomiting, and stomach pain. These adverse effects were mild to moderate in intensity and resolved normally.
However, more participants in the liraglutide group (12.6%) stopped taking the medication than in the semaglutide group (3.2%) due to major adverse events such as persistent medical illnesses or malignant tumors. These severe adverse events were reported by 7.9% of the semaglutide group and 11% of the liraglutide group.
There was also a modest increase in mental health-related issues such as sadness, anxiety, and increased fatigue in the liraglutide group (5.5%) compared to the semaglutide group (2.4%). This was related to increased reports of insomnia and suicidal ideation in the liraglutide group.
Why pick Semaglutide over Liraglutide?
Why pick Semaglutide over Liraglutide?
As indicated in the research cited above, semaglutide appears to outperform liraglutide in terms of weight loss, changes in appetite signaling, frequency of use, and a somewhat lesser effect on mental health. Despite having similar side effects, semaglutide is thought to have a reduced incidence of major adverse events.
Liraglutide may be an option for people who are not of legal age but have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Consult your doctor or healthcare provider to determine the appropriate weight reduction medication for your present health condition and body weight.
