Weight Loss
Recent clinical, regulatory, research and industry developments relating to this disease.
Obesity and cardiovascular disease: an ESC clinical consensus statement.
Effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists on weight and cardiovascular outcomes: A review.
Approval: Alli (previously Orlistat GSK) (EMA)
What's happening now
An analyst briefing on current research, clinical, regulatory and industry activity surrounding this disease.
- 5 clinical trials expected to report results, the earliest in Q2 2027.
- Active recent publication activity.
- 10 industry developments reported.
- Q2 2027Efficacy, Metabolic and Cardiovascular Effects of Liraglutide in Children Aged 6-12 Years With Severe Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Advanced Echocardiographic Assessment
- Q3 2027A Master Protocol to Investigate the Efficacy and Safety of Orforglipron Once Daily in Participants With Hypertension and Obesity or Overweight: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trials (ATTAIN-HYPERTENSION)
- Q4 2027Effect of Metformin ER With Hypocaloric Diet on Weight Loss in Overweight/Obese Patients With Increased Waist Circumference
- Q4 2028Weight Maintenance in Adolescents With Obesity; Long-Term Treatment With Semaglutide s.c.2.4 mg Once-weekly
- Q1 2029A Phase IV Study to Assess the Effect of Naltrexone Hydrochloride Extended Release (ER) and Bupropion Hydrochloride ER Combination (Contrave®/Mysimba®) on the Occurrence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events
Research HighlightsViewHide
Clinical MilestonesView all 18Hide
- 2026-06-08Effect of Metformin ER With Hypocaloric Diet on Weight Loss in Overweight/Obese Patients With Increased Waist CircumferenceResults expected Q4 2027
- 2026-06-02Weight Maintenance in Adolescents With Obesity; Long-Term Treatment With Semaglutide s.c.2.4 mg Once-weeklyResults expected Q4 2028
- 2026-05-29A Master Protocol to Investigate the Efficacy and Safety of Orforglipron Once Daily in Participants With Hypertension and Obesity or Overweight: Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trials (ATTAIN-HYPERTENSION)Results expected Q3 2027
- 2026-05-15Efficacy, Metabolic and Cardiovascular Effects of Liraglutide in Children Aged 6-12 Years With Severe Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Advanced Echocardiographic AssessmentResults expected Q2 2027
- 2026-03-31A Phase IV Study to Assess the Effect of Naltrexone Hydrochloride Extended Release (ER) and Bupropion Hydrochloride ER Combination (Contrave®/Mysimba®) on the Occurrence of Major Adverse Cardiovascular EventsResults expected Q1 2029
- 2026-06-02Efficacy, Safety, and Pharmacokinetics of Tirzepatide Once Weekly Versus Placebo in Adolescent Participants Who Have Obesity, or Are Overweight With Weight-Related Comorbidities: A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial (SURMOUNT-ADOLESCENTS)Primary completion
- 2026-06-01Efficacy and Safety of Ixekizumab or Ixekizumab Concomitantly Administered With Tirzepatide in Adult Participants With Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis and Obesity or Overweight: A Phase 3b, Randomized, Multicenter, Open-Label Study (TOGETHER-PsO)Completed
- 2026-04-30A Master Protocol to Investigate the Efficacy and Safety of LY3437943 Once Weekly in Participants Without Type 2 Diabetes Who Have Obesity or Overweight: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial (TRIUMPH-1)Completed
- 2026-04-23Efficacy and Safety of Ixekizumab or Ixekizumab Concomitantly Administered With Tirzepatide in Adult Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis and Obesity or Overweight: A Phase 3b, Randomized, Multicenter, Open-Label Study (TOGETHER-PsA)Completed
- 2026-04-22Efficacy and Safety of Cagrilintide s.c. in Combination With Semaglutide s.c.(CagriSema s.c. 1.0 mg/1.0 mg and 1.7 mg/1.7 mg) Once-weekly in Participants With Overweight or ObesityCompleted
- 2028-06-01Improving Access to Anti-Obesity Pharmacotherapy for Pediatric Obesity: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of PhentermineWithdrawn
- 2028-03-01A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Double-dummy, Parallel-group, Active Drug and Placebo-controlled, Safety, Efficacy and Superiority of Sibutramine IR/Topiramate XR in Overweight Adults With Comorbidities/ObesityWithdrawn
- 2028-01-17A Placebo-controlled Comparability Study to Compare Two Presentations of CagriSema in Participants With Overweight or ObesityWithdrawn
- 2027-11-01Parent Toddler Obesity Study (PTOS)Withdrawn
- 2026-11-30Megestrol Acetate Versus Liraglutide Plus Megestrol Acetate in Obese Women with Endometrial Atypical Hyperplasia: a Randomized Controlled Pilot Clinical StudyWithdrawn
Industry & MarketView all 10Hide
- 2026-07-08New weight loss pill beats oral Ozempic in major trialTrial news · Science Daily
- 2026-07-07Kailera’s oral GLP-1 asset sees 11% weight loss, hits goals in Chinese phase 3 obesity and diabetes trialsTrial news · Fierce Biotech
- 2026-06-24Recoded E. coli Promises More Scalable Weight Loss Drug ProductionManufacturing · GEN News
- 2026-06-25STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about weight loss drug spending, launch prices for medicines, and much moreIndustry · STAT News
- 2026-04-01Noom plans push into peptides beyond weight loss drugsIndustry · Endpoints News
- 2028-06-01ClinicalImproving Access to Anti-Obesity Pharmacotherapy for Pediatric Obesity: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of PhentermineWithdrawn
- 2028-03-01ClinicalA Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Double-dummy, Parallel-group, Active Drug and Placebo-controlled, Safety, Efficacy and Superiority of Sibutramine IR/Topiramate XR in Overweight Adults With Comorbidities/ObesityWithdrawn
- 2028-01-17ClinicalA Placebo-controlled Comparability Study to Compare Two Presentations of CagriSema in Participants With Overweight or ObesityWithdrawn
- 2027-11-01ClinicalParent Toddler Obesity Study (PTOS)Withdrawn
- 2026-11-30ClinicalMegestrol Acetate Versus Liraglutide Plus Megestrol Acetate in Obese Women with Endometrial Atypical Hyperplasia: a Randomized Controlled Pilot Clinical StudyWithdrawn
- 2026-07-23IndustryLilly’s triple-G drug hits 22.6% weight loss, but impact on reducing cardio risk is less clearIndustry · Fierce Biotech
- 2026-07-08IndustryNew weight loss pill beats oral Ozempic in major trialTrial news · Science Daily
- 2026-07-07IndustryKailera’s oral GLP-1 asset sees 11% weight loss, hits goals in Chinese phase 3 obesity and diabetes trialsTrial news · Fierce Biotech
- 2026-06-25IndustrySTAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about weight loss drug spending, launch prices for medicines, and much moreIndustry · STAT News
- 2026-06-24IndustryRecoded E. coli Promises More Scalable Weight Loss Drug ProductionManufacturing · GEN News
Therapeutic landscape
Therapies with a regulatory footing for this condition, alongside the wider set of agents co-studied with it in the literature.
Approval — Adults Wegovy is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical… (2022)
Approval — Type 2 diabetes mellitus Mounjaro is indicated for the treatment of adults with insuffici… (2022)
Approval — Alli is indicated for weight loss in adults who are overweight (body mass index, BMI, 28… (2007)
Clinical trials
The current development programme across all trial phases.
Regulatory timeline
Drug regulatory events matched to this condition by indication — EMA.
European Medicines Agency (CC BY 4.0). Events are matched to this condition by drug indication text — approvals/updates for drugs indicated for it, not disease-specific acts.
Research activity
Key research shaping understanding of this disease, combining the latest publications with the most influential evidence.
Major themes8
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 226
- Obesity24
- Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists22
- Weight Loss19
- Anti-Obesity Agents13
- Glucagon-Like Peptide 110
- Incretins9
- Cardiovascular Diseases7
Leading journals6
- Diabetes, obesity & metabolism8
- Molecular metabolism6
- The New England journal of medicine4
- Diabetes care3
- International journal of obesity (2005)3
- JAMA3
Leading researchers8
- Wadden TA5
- Holst JJ4
- Drucker DJ3
- Li Y3
- Müller TD3
- Nauck MA3
- Batterham RL2
- Blouet C2
Affiliations (unnormalised)6
- University of Copenhagen5
- Harvard Medical School3
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity3
- Massachusetts General Hospital3
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research3
- Perelman School of Medicine3
Disease biology
Key proteins & gene products studied in this disease. Number shows shared papers.
Related conditions
Diseases frequently studied alongside this one. Number shows shared papers.
Disease profile
A grounded synthesis of the condition — overview, causes, mechanism, risk factors and current standard of care.
Weight loss is a decrease in existing body weight. In the supplied literature, it is discussed mainly as a therapeutic goal in obesity and type 2 diabetes, where reducing weight is used to lower health risks and improve metabolic outcomes.
The grounding links weight loss to changes in energy balance, appetite, body composition, and energy metabolism. It also connects weight loss to incretin biology, including GLP-1 and GIP signaling, which influences insulin secretion and glucagon regulation and is relevant to drug effects on body weight.
The supplied material does not support risk factors for weight loss as a standalone condition. It instead describes factors associated with obesity and cardiovascular risk, such as lack of physical activity, dietary habits, elevated blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemias, age, and male gender.
Weight loss is generally approached with lifestyle management, medication, and surgical interventions when used therapeutically in obesity. The literature specifically mentions GLP-1 receptor agonists and related incretin-based therapies, including liraglutide, semaglutide, exenatide, and tirzepatide, as drug classes associated with weight-loss effects.
AI-generated summary grounded in MeSH and 6 peer-reviewed sources. Informational only — not medical advice. Generated 2026-07-07.
Reference
Authoritative identity, definition & identifiers.
Decrease in existing BODY WEIGHT.
- Disease identity & definition — NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), public domain
- Clinical trials — ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
- Research activity — Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI) + OpenAlex-derived paper links
- Related entities are derived from literature co-mention (studied together) — associative, not causal.