Dulaglutide Cuts Weight Gain After Smoking Cessation

FRIDAY, Dec. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Dulaglutide cuts post-smoking cessation weight gain in men and women, according to a study published online Dec. 19 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.

Fabienne Baur, M.D., from University Hospital Basel in Switzerland, and colleagues investigated gender differences in weight change after dulaglutide-assisted smoking cessation. The analysis included 255 adults who smoked daily (155 women and 100 men) who were randomly assigned to weekly dulaglutide (1.5 mg) or placebo (0.9 percent sodium chloride) in addition to standardized smoking cessation care (varenicline 2 mg/day plus behavioral counseling) for 12 weeks.

The researchers observed no gender differences in absolute or relative weight change for either dulaglutide or placebo treatment. In the placebo group, substantial weight gain (>6 percent increase) was almost five times more frequent in women than men (24 versus 5 percent). On dulaglutide, female participants were less likely to have substantial weight gain versus those treated with placebo (1 versus 24 percent). This dulaglutide effect was less pronounced in men (0 versus 5 percent).

"Our results underline the efficacy of dulaglutide in preventing postcessation weight gain in both genders and particularly in women who appear to be more prone to substantial weight gain than men," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text