Background: Liraglutide 3 mg was approved in the UAE for the treatment of obesity in residents with BMI >30 kg/m2 or BMI >27 kg/m2 with obesity-related complications and clinical use started in January 2017 at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC). The proportions of participants achieving weight loss of ≥5%, ≥10% and ≥15% at 16 weeks were 60%, 23% and 6%.
Methods: Retrospective review of clinical data from a cohort of patients treated at ICLDC in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, UAE. Inclusion criteria were treatment with Liraglutide 3 mg for weight loss and follow-up of ≥ 56 weeks (4 weeks dose escalation plus 52 weeks treatment). 93% of participants were Emirati.
Results: 322 individuals were included. Median follow-up was 485 (433-551) days and treatment was stopped in 75 individuals before end of follow-up. 91 received treatment ≥ 365 days, and 27 had no gaps in treatment > 30 days during follow-up, with a median of 265 (151-381) days of treatment. Eight participants had T2DM and 190 had IFG or IGT. 28 had prior history of bariatric surgery (18 sleeve, 8 RYGB, 2 other). Intentional to treat analysis suggested that after a year, ≥ 5% weight loss was achieved in 51%, ≥ 10% in 25% and ≥ 15% in 9%. Per protocol analysis suggested completing 1 year of treatment resulted in ≥ 5% in 83.5%, ≥ 10% in 52.7% and ≥ 15% in 22.2% of patients.
Conclusion: Weight loss continued between 16 and 56 weeks, but gaps in treatment may have impaired effectiveness.
A.J. Buckley: None. M. Suliman: None. A. Al Tikriti: None. N. Lessan: None. C. le Roux: Advisory Panel; Self; GI Dynamics, Inc., Herbalife International of America, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk A/S. Speaker's Bureau; Self; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. T.M. Tan: Other Relationship; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. M.T. Barakat: None.
