Obesity is a major problem that can be associated with fatty liver disease. Currently, several drugs are being used to treat obesity: Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. All of them are very effective in inducing weight loss, but they have the disadvantage of their subcutaneous administration once a week. This can lead to incomplete adherence to treatment, thus decreasing the effectiveness. In this sense, extending the interval between injections can achieve greater adherence to treatment and, therefore, better results.
An article has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine describing the use of a new drug for the treatment of obesity. This drug has a half-life of approximately 21 days, so administering it once a month may be sufficient to obtain satisfactory results. In this study, MariTide was given to 592 patients once a month at doses of 140, 280, or 420 mg for 52 weeks. A group of 110 patients treated with placebo was also included.
Results of the study of the new drug
A weight loss of 12.3% was obtained in the MariTide group versus 2.5% in the placebo group. The number of patients with weight loss of at least 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% was significantly higher in the MariTide group than in the placebo group. There was also a decrease in blood pressure and glucose parameters in the treated group versus the placebo. The side effects that occurred most frequently in the treatment group were nausea, vomiting and constipation.
In summary, this new drug, MariTide, shows promise for the treatment of obesity, with the great advantage that it only needs to be administered once per month. Dr. Carreño and the physicians of the Foundation agree with the possible future use of this drug. However, we believe that it is necessary to include a larger number of patients and to carry out more trials.
