Efficacy and Safety of Different Weight Reduction Strategies: A Study at Southwell Hospital Kuwait Oil Company

Abstract

Background: Obesity and its associated disorders have emerged as significant global health issues, with obesity presently identified as the fifth most prevalent cause of mortality worldwide. Semaglutide is the latest licensed medication in this pharmacological class. Semaglutide is presently offered in both subcutaneous (Ozempic) and oral formulations (Rybelsus). Liraglutide (Saxenda), a GLP-1 analogue, has demonstrated efficacy in reducing body weight by inhibiting appetite and caloric consumption.
Aim: The present aimed to determine the effectiveness of three different anti-obesity medications (Ozempic, Rybelsus and Saxenda).
Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted from Southwell Hospital Kuwait Oil Company obesity clinic records from March 2023 to December 2024. A total of 141 patients were enrolled in this study and divided into 4 groups. All groups were treated with the standard diet and exercise in addition to medicines. Group 1 (n=78) was treated with subcutaneous injectable Ozempic, Group 2 (n=24) was treated with Saxenda, Group 3 (n=27) was treated with Rybelsus. Group 4 (n=12) was treated as a placebo control group.
Results: A total of 141 patients were enrolled in the study with the mean age of 44.9 years old and 87.9% of them were females, 44.7% were pre-diabetic. BMI and waist circumferences were statistically significantly reduced after treatments under each medicine groups as all p values were <0.05. Patients under Ozempic showed more reduction in BMI followed by Saxenda compared to Rybelsus. More reduction in waist circumference showed with Ozempic followed
Conclusion: the three anti- obesity medications are effective in weight reduction among overweighr and obese patients in addition to improvement in glycemic control.Ozempic showed the weight reduction valuve while patients under Rybelsus reported higher adverse events.