A new drug, Victoza, for diabetes type 2, helps help the obese lose weight.
The drug has been on the market in Europe since June. A recent study on the drug was performed at the University of Copenhagen and the results published in The Lancet.
The study involved 135 men and 429 women who were divided into three groups. The first group received different doses of liraglutine, the active agent in Victoza, the second group received orlistat, a component in the drug called Xenical used to treat obesity and the last group received a placebo.
Participants were also dieting and exercising daily. After five months, people in the first group lost the most weight, up to 5% using the highest dose of the drug.
Researchers stress that people should not rely only on the drug to lose weight. They should also combine it with a diet and exercise program.