Effect of Liraglutide on Weight Loss and BMI Among Patients Who Are Overweight and Obese with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objectives: This study assessed the effect of liraglutide as a monotherapy and add-on to metformin on weight loss and BMI, among patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) who are overweight or obese. Methods: The following databases were assessed to identify relevant papers published until July 2023: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (PubMed), clinicaltrial.gov, and Web of Science. All clinical trials evaluating the effect of liraglutide on weight loss and BMI in patients with T2D who are obese or overweight, treated for at least 2 months, were included in the review. All analysis and risk of bias assessment was done using Cochrane Review Manager software, version 5.4.1 (Cochrane, London, UK). A random-effects model with inverse variance was used to synthesise the results. Results: In total, 10 randomised controlled trials involving 945 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Treatment with liraglutide with or without metformin for more than 2 months led to a significant weight loss (mean difference: -4.75 kg; 95% confidence interval: -7.02–-2.48; p<0.01). Liraglutide supplementation also led to a significant decrease in BMI (mean difference: -2.07; 95% confidence interval: -2.75–-1.39; p<0.01). However, the decrease in weight and BMI was not statistically significant as compared to treatment with other oral hypoglycaemic drugs or placebo. Conclusion: Liraglutide used alone or as adjunctive therapy to metformin produces reduction in weight and BMI when administered in adult patients with T2D who are obese or overweight.