EFFECTIVENESS OF LIRAGLUTIDE IN REDUCING BODY WEIGHT AND IMPROVING GLYCEMIC CONTROL IN PATIENTS WITH T2DM

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of Liraglutide on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body weight in patients with type 2 diabetes. Material and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in a private tertiary healthcare setting. A total of 58 adult patients with T2DM using oral anti-diabetic agents with or without insulin were enrolled in the study from November 2020 to April 2022. Liraglutide was administered at a dose of 0.6 mg/day which was raised to 1.2 mg/day after 1 week and later to 1.8 mg/day depending upon patient preferences and tolerability. Patients were assessed for changes in their body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG) level, random blood glucose (RBG) level, and HbA1c at the 1st and 2nd follow-up visits of the 8th and 16th week, respectively. Results: At the 16th week, the mean weight was 100.78±17.56 vs 102.74±17.26 and 104.11±17.95 at the 8th week and baseline visit, revealing a significant difference across three-time points [F(1.4, 36.45)=8.57, p=0.003]. A post hoc pairwise analysis showed that weight significantly decreased from baseline and 16th-week follow-up visits (p=0.011). Similarly, a significant decrease was observed in mean HbA1c across three-time points [F (2, 39.40) =8.81, p=0.001]. Mean HbA1c at 16th week was 6.61±1.13% vs 8.09±1.43% at baseline (P = 0.001). No significant reduction in FBG, RBG, blood pressure, and serum lipid profile were observed. Moreover, no major side effects occurred in any patient. Conclusion: Liraglutide is an effective and well-tolerable drug in improving glycemic control, causing significant weight loss in the study population when used as a monotherapy or in combination therapy.   KEYWORDS: Liraglutide, Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Glycemic control, Weight loss