A study can show an average benefit. Ask how the people in that study compare with you.
Read each result with this checklist.
Who was in the study?
Look for the health conditions the participants had. A result from one group does not answer every other group’s question.
What was the comparison?
These studies used a dummy shot, called a placebo, that did not contain the study medicine.
How long did it run?
Keep the study length beside the result. Ask the clinician what longer-term care would involve.
How might the result apply to me?
An average describes the study group. A person’s own result can be quite different.
What the weight trials found.
The trial findings below were checked on September 26, 2026.
Semaglutide (Wegovy)
STEP 1
In STEP 1, the adults had obesity or had both overweight and a weight-related condition; none had diabetes.
Over 68 weeks, the semaglutide group lost an average of 14.9% of its starting weight. The dummy-shot group lost an average of 2.4%.
For a starting weight of 200 pounds, those percentages equal about 30 pounds and 5 pounds. This is a math example to explain the percentages, not a prediction for you.
The medicine maker, Novo Nordisk, funded the trial.
SURMOUNT-1 studied adults who did not have diabetes. They had obesity, or they had overweight together with a weight-related problem.
Over 72 weeks, the three tirzepatide groups lost an average of 15.0%, 19.5% and 20.9% of their starting weight. The dummy-shot group lost an average of 3.1%.
To picture the range: 15.0% to 20.9% of a starting weight of 200 pounds is 30 to about 42 pounds. The dummy-shot result of 3.1% equals about 6 pounds out of 200. This is a math example, not a promise about your result.
The groups received different amounts of tirzepatide. Eli Lilly, the medicine maker, supported the trial.
SCALE included adults with obesity, or overweight plus certain weight-related conditions, without the kind of diabetes called type 2.
Over 56 weeks, the liraglutide group’s average weight loss was 8.4 kilograms (about 18 pounds). The dummy-shot group lost an average of 2.8 kilograms (about 6 pounds).
Novo Nordisk, the medicine maker, funded the trial.
Ask how treatment will be reviewed, what it could cost over time and what support would remain if the medicine ends.
Read a label and a study for different questions.
The medicine labels, checked on September 26, 2026, are the official product information. They explain the approved uses and warnings. Study reports explain what happened to the people who took part.
A doctor or pharmacy prepares a compounded medicine for a particular order.
As of September 26, 2026, medicines made to order had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For medicines made to order, the FDA does not review safety, how well they work or how well they are made before sale.
The study results for approved products do not establish that a compounded version gives the same results.