The Study
Bimagrumab plus semaglutide alone or in combination for the treatment of obesity: a randomized phase 2 trial
This study gave different medicines to people with obesity and saw how much weight they lost. Because the researchers randomly assigned who got what, we can say the medicines probably caused the weight loss—not just that people who lost weight happened to take them.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested a new drug combo that targets fat and muscle differently than current weight-loss drugs.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 587 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means you lose more harmful belly fat and keep your muscle — which helps you stay strong and metabolically healthy — without needing surgery.
- 2People lost 24.2 kg (53 lbs) and 45.7% of their body fat — more than with semaglutide alone.
- 3Muscle mass stayed almost the same with the combo, but dropped 7.4% with semaglutide alone.
- 4All prediabetic participants returned to normal blood sugar.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nature Medicine
Year
2026
Authors
S. Heymsfield, L. Aronne, Penelope Montgomery, Lloyd B Klickstein, Laura A. Coleman, Kiran Dole, L. Mindeholm, S. Spruill, Xingyuan Li, Kenneth M. Attie
Related Content
Claims (9)
Using a GLP-1 receptor agonist together with a myostatin pathway inhibitor leads to a reduction in body fat and either no change or an increase in lean tissue mass.
When bimagrumab and a GLP-1 receptor agonist are taken together, fat mass decreases more than when either drug is taken alone.
In adults with obesity and prediabetes, taking both bimagrumab and semaglutide for 72 weeks leads to complete normalization of blood sugar levels in 100% of participants, compared to 96% with semaglutide alone and 53% with a placebo.
Bimagrumab, a specific antibody, decreases body fat without requiring the presence or activity of GLP-1 receptor agonists.
During weight loss, bimagrumab leads to an increase in lean mass, while apitegromab slows the loss of lean mass.
In adults with obesity, a 72-week treatment combining bimagrumab and semaglutide leads to an average weight loss of 24.2 kg and a 45.7% reduction in body fat while maintaining muscle mass, which is greater than the weight loss and fat reduction seen with semaglutide alone.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.