Taking a weekly injection called semaglutide along with healthy eating and exercise can help people with obesity or overweight lose about 15% of their body weight in a year—much more than people who just take a sugar pill.

People with obesity and another health issue who got a weekly shot of semaglutide plus behavioral therapy lost about 17 kg on average after a year and a half — way more than those who got a placebo.

When adults with obesity take a drug called semaglutide 2.4 mg for about 1.5 years, nearly 9 out of 10 lose at least 5% of their body weight — compared to only about 1 in 3 to half of those taking a sugar pill or another drug, meaning semaglutide works better for weight loss in most people.

Taking a weekly shot called semaglutide 2.4 mg helps people who are overweight and have prediabetes lose a lot of weight—about 15 kg in a year—and even after stopping the shot, they still keep off nearly 9 kg. This also helps stop them from developing full-blown diabetes.

Even if you don’t have diabetes, if you’re overweight and have heart disease, a weekly shot of semaglutide can cut your risk of heart attack or stroke by 1 in 5 — and this benefit starts before you lose much weight.

On average, 32 people with type 2 diabetes lost about 5% of their body weight after taking oral semaglutide for 6 months.