Daily oral GLP-1 medication linked to similar weight loss across three menopausal stages

by European Association for the Study of Diabetes

edited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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New analyses to be presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy, Sept. 28–Oct. 2, show that orforglipron, a daily oral medication for weight loss and type 2 diabetes, was associated with similar weight loss among women of different ages and at different life stages: before, during and after menopause.

The study is by Dr. Hunter Thomas Hoffman of Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, the manufacturer of orforglipron, and colleagues.

Obesity, a chronic, progressive disease, is exacerbated by estrogen deficiency during menopause. Orforglipron, an oral small-molecule, nonpeptide GLP-1 receptor agonist, was associated with significant body weight (BW) reductions in the ATTAIN-1 and ATTAIN-2 studies.

ATTAIN-1 examined people with overweight or obesity but not diabetes; ATTAIN-2 examined people with both conditions. This additional analysis evaluated orforglipron's effect on BW in women by menopausal stage.

Female participants with obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²) or overweight (BMI ≥27 kg/m²) and at least one weight-related medical condition in ATTAIN-1 and ATTAIN-2 were analyzed by menopausal status: premenopausal, perimenopausal or postmenopausal. The number of women in each category receiving orforglipron or placebo ranged from 142 to 225. Researchers assessed changes in BW, waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio, as well as the proportion achieving BW reduction thresholds of ≥5%, ≥10%, ≥15% and ≥20%, vs. placebo (PBO) at 72 weeks.

Women given orforglipron had significant and similar body weight reductions of up to 14% across all three menopausal stages in both ATTAIN-1 and ATTAIN-2.

Significant reductions in waist circumference of up to 12.5 cm (4.9 inches) were observed across subgroups receiving orforglipron in both studies. Up to 83% of women receiving orforglipron lost at least 5% of their body weight, vs. 30% receiving placebo. More participants treated with orforglipron than with placebo moved to lower waist-to-height ratio categories.

Key medical concepts

orforglipronObesityWaist Circumference

Clinical categories

EndocrinologyWomen's healthWeight managementClinical pharmacologyObstetrics & gynecology Provided by European Association for the Study of Diabetes Who's behind this story?

Sadie Harley

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