Results from a new study showed no apparent benefit in total weight loss when patients are treated with the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist semaglutide prior to bariatric surgery, adding to the data on if and when weight loss drugs should be used in conjunction with surgery.
While the findings suggested patients choosing bariatric surgery may be better off skipping pretreatment with antiobesity medication, lead author Eric G. Sheu, MD, PhD, of the Laboratory for Surgical and Metabolic Research and chief of the Section of Bariatric and Foregut Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, noted that guidelines regarding the practice are lacking.
As the popularity of highly effective antiobesity drugs has soared and rates of bariatric surgery have declined, questions about the benefit of using both,…