Anti-Obesity Medicines May Help Prevent Weight Regain after Weight Loss

Dr. Abhamoni Baro, Associate Professor, Dept. Endocrinology, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati, Assam
Anti-obesity medicines were associated with less weight regain and further improvements in weight and cardiometabolic measures during weight maintenance.
Weight regain is common after initial weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism examined whether anti-obesity medicines (AOMs) could help maintain weight loss after an initial reduction achieved through lifestyle, dietary, surgical or pharmacological interventions. The review also assessed their safety, quality of life, and neuropsychiatric adverse events.

Researchers searched Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library for randomized controlled trials (RCT's) published up to October 2025. A total of 12 trials involving 4,915 participants were included. The studies compared AOMs with placebo during the weight-maintenance phase after participants had already lost weight.

Compared with placebo, AOM treatment was associated with further reductions in body weight, waist circumference and body mass index (BMI). Body weight decreased by 8.68 kg, waist circumference by 7.16 cm and BMI by 3.58 kg/m².

AOM treatment was also associated with improvements in several cardiometabolic measures, including triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure. Quality-of-life measures included in the analysis also favored AOM treatment.

Gastrointestinal adverse events were more common with AOMs than with placebo, while serious adverse events were not significantly increased. Overall, the findings suggest that AOMs may help prevent weight regain and support further improvements in weight and cardiometabolic measures during the weight-maintenance phase. However, further long-term trials are needed to better understand treatment strategies and safety.

(Reference: Chen Z, Cheng R, Wang H, Hu F. Efficacy and Safety of Anti‐Obesity Medications for Weight Loss Maintenance in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. 2026 Jul 9)