People with Obesity and Prediabetes Report Quality of Life Improvements Using Saxenda
By Sarah Wilkins and Lynn Kennedy
Results from the SCALE study show weight loss, delayed onset of type 2 diabetes, and report improved quality of life
In today’s diabetes drug market, many medications report beneficial side effects, such as weight loss and reduced rates of heart attack or stroke. The SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes three-year extension trial, a study of Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist drug, Saxenda, highlights such positive side effects. Over 3 years, the once-daily drug delayed the onset of type 2 diabetes more than 2.5 times longer compared to diet and exercise alone (placebo group), as shown by the recently completed late stage trial with 2,254 participants. Participants taking Saxenda additionally lost an average of 6.1% body weight after 160 weeks of treatment – equivalent to a participant with a 200 pound starting weight losing approximately 12 pounds.
The quality of life improvements reported by people taking Saxenda are equally as important and exciting as the improvements in health outcomes. According to a recent study by Dr. Ronnette Kolotkin of Quality of Life Consulting in Durham, NC, the group of participants on Saxenda achieved noticeably higher scores on the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQoL-Lite) assessment after 160 weeks in comparison to the placebo group.
The IWQoL-Lite assessment averages the scores reported by participants across five categories: physical function, self-esteem, sexual life, public distress, and work. Participants reported improvements in each category by combining Saxenda with a healthy diet and adequate exercise for an overall clinically meaningful life-improvement for the drug group as compared to the placebo group.
The SCALE trial results presented at 56 weeks, like those just released from 160 weeks, similarly reported weight loss and a higher quality of life. However, since both the drug and placebo groups lost weight, more work remains to determine how much, if at all, the placebo effect influenced the results.
For information about ongoing clinical trials, visit clinicaltrials.gov and TrialReach.
[Photo Credit: SaxendaPro.com]
