About two-thirds of the weight regain can be effectively and safely lost with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RA) after bariatric surgery, as deduced from a retrospective observational study issued in the “Obesity Surgery”. Approximately a third of patients experience weight regain following bariatric surgery. Anders Boisen Jensen and researchers studied the role of GLP1-RA such as Liraglutide and Semaglutide for weight regain after bariatric surgery in a real-world patient setting.

In this single-center study, 50 people (82% women) taking GLP1-RA therapy for 6 months for weight regain after bariatric surgery were included in this study. Information on body weight and relevant clinical parameters were noted before and after the therapy. Data were presented as median (interquartile range). Prior to GLP1-RA use (Semaglutide, n=2; Liraglutide, n=29), weight and BMI were 90.5 kg (83.4, 107.9) and 34.0 kg/m2 (31.7, 38.7), respectively, with a post-bariatric weight regain of 15.1% (10.6, 22.8) of total body weight and 4.6 kg/m2 (3.3, 6.2).

After six months, a decrease in weight and BMI of 8.8% (5.2, 11.4) of total body weight and 2.9 kg/m2 (1.8, 4.0) was perceived. The median patient had lost 67.4% of the weight regained following the surgery. There were no serious adverse events. Hence, the findings of the study supported the usage of both Liraglutide and Semaglutide to combat weight regain after bariatric surgery.