Latest news with #Embla
Medscape
15-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Obesity App May Enable Weight Loss With Less Semaglutide
MÁLAGA, Spain — An online obesity clinic named Embla was associated with weight loss like that seen in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of semaglutide, but with less than half of the semaglutide dose, according to new real-world data. Average weight loss reached 16.7% after 64 weeks' use of the digital health platform, which combines tailored semaglutide dosing with intensive behavioral therapy delivered via an app. In clinical trials of semaglutide, the dose was 2.4 mg/wk, but patients in the present study used an average of 1 mg/wk. Similar mean weight loss was observed across baseline body mass index (BMI) classes and with all medication doses. 'This [study] showed us that combining an intensive behavioral intervention within an e-health weight management clinic can reproduce some of the results we see in confirmatory trials but in the context of a real-world cohort and with far less medication used,' said lead researcher Henrik Gudbergsen, MD, chief medical officer at Embla and general practitioner. 'The intensive behavioral therapy is key, and it goes a long way when you want to lose weight,' Gudbergsen added. He presented the findings at European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2025. Publication of the study in The Lancet Digital Health is pending, but a preprint version is available. App Plus Semaglutide Real-world data on semaglutide use in digital weight-loss interventions remain limited. Studies in this setting often show less weight loss than in RCTs of semaglutide and rarely report the details of lifestyle interventions or dosing patterns, said Gudbergsen. Real-world data also suggest that few patients follow the dose titration used in clinical trials, and most stay on lower doses than the standard 2.4-mg once-weekly dose, he added. This study of the Embla platform evaluated the effects of combining video and chat-based coaching with diet, exercise, and psychological support using cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy. Embla users interact with a multidisciplinary team, including doctors, nurses, and psychologists. The artificial intelligence–powered app also tracks weight, medication, physical activity, and patient-reported outcomes. Semaglutide was prescribed to participants using a personalized, treat-to-target approach, titrated based on tolerability. The primary endpoint was percentage weight change at 64 weeks. The average weekly semaglutide dose was a key secondary outcome. A total of 2694 participants with a BMI ≥ 27 were enrolled. At 64 weeks, 465 participants remained in the study. 'Although this is a large dropout [rate] after 1 year in more conventional RCT terms, it is actually very good for a real-world intervention,' Gudbergsen said in response to an audience comment by practitioner and semaglutide drug trialist Donna Ryan, MD, professor emerita at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Behavioral Therapy Mean weight loss after 64 weeks was 16.7% (95% CI, 17.4%-16.0%) with an average semaglutide dose of 1.02 mg/wk (SD, 0.56). Women had 17.6% (95% CI, 18.4%-16.9%) and men had 13.4% (95% CI, 14.3%-12.5%) weight loss. The app captured engagement metrics, and Gudbergsen noted that women tended to interact with it more frequently. 'We do see a higher engagement among women and a tendency for women to engage more in communities. This might explain some of the differences between the cohorts,' he pointed out. Weight loss was approximately similar across baseline BMI categories for the first 6 months. Participants with a BMI of 27-29.9 lost 10.8% (95% CI, 12.7%-8.8%), those with a BMI of 30-34.9 lost 15.9% (95% CI, 16.6%-15.1%), those with a BMI of 35-39.9 lost 17.5% (95% CI, 18.2%-16.7%), and those with a BMI of ≥ 40 lost 17.2% (95% CI, 18.2%-16.2%). 'Then there's a split, with people with a baseline BMI between 27 and 30 losing slightly less than those with a BMI above 30,' said Gudbergsen. Weight-loss outcomes remained consistent across semaglutide dose levels. For a dose of 0.25 mg/wk, weight loss was 17.3% (95% CI, 18.5%-16.0%); for 0.5 mg/wk, 17.3% (95% CI, 18.4%-16.2%); for 0.75 mg/wk, 18.1% (95% CI, 19.4%-16.7%); and for 1 mg/wk, 17.6% (95% CI, 18.6%-16.5%). Weight loss of at least 5% and 10% was achieved by 98% and 82% of participants, respectively, over the 64 weeks. About 29% of participants who reached 64 weeks titrated above the 1-mg semaglutide dose. When asked about adverse event reporting, Gudbergsen responded, 'There's spontaneous reporting, but in addition, the healthcare professionals ask patients if they've experienced adverse events.' According to the preprint, depending on the severity of the adverse event report, the participant could either be 'maintained at current dose, reduced to a dose in between standard doses, reduced to the previous titration dose, or terminated until the adverse event was properly handled.' Support Is Key Commenting on the study for Medscape Medical News , Jason Halford, PhD, head of the School of Psychology at the University of Leeds, Leeds, England, and past president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said, 'It shows an important element of weight management: That is, the support. 'If you've got an app, and there's somebody to provide help with behavioral challenges through interacting with the app, then that's providing the support we need,' Halford added. 'These drugs are not meant to be given on their own. This [study] shows the benefit of additional obesity support mechanisms or tools we can bring to bear,' he said. 'Not only do we find people lose similar amounts of weight on a lower amount of drug, but it might also protect them when they come off the drug because there's lasting change. If you don't get the behavior change in while you're on the drug, once the drug is not there helping you, you're set up for failure.' Embla costs users €150 per month to start, while patients can shift to a maintenance program once appropriate.
Reuters
14-05-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Health Rounds: Study suggests lower Wegovy dose might be just as effective
May 14 (Reuters) - (To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here) The usual dose of Novo Nordisk's ( opens new tab expensive weight-loss drug Wegovy can be cut in half without affecting the results, researchers reported on Tuesday at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain. They tracked nearly 2,700 participants in an employer-sponsored weight-loss treatment program who were receiving the GLP-1 drug semaglutide - the main ingredient in Wegovy and Novo's diabetes drug Ozempic. Patients experienced as much weight loss as was seen in earlier clinical trials, but with half the dose, the researchers said. During the 64-week study, participants lost an average of 16.7% of their body weight on a mean dose of just 1.08 milligrams of semaglutide per week, substantially lower than the typical 2.4 mg dose. This was true regardless of body mass index at the start. Nearly 98% of participants lost at least 5% of their starting body weight, a threshold widely recognized as clinically meaningful. Many kept the weight off even after stopping the medication. As GLP-1 use grows and employers' insurance plans need to adapt to the costs, 'the study points to a path toward meaningful outcomes without escalating drug costs,' the researchers said in a statement. Some analysts have forecast sales of newer weight-loss drugs reaching $150 billion a year in the next decade. Embla, the Danish digital weight loss clinic that led the program, uses a treat-to-target protocol that holds doses steady when patients are progressing, with fewer than 30% of users escalating beyond 1 mg per week. 'When care is designed around the patient, lower doses often prove sufficient," Nicholas Syhler, Embla co-CEO, said in a statement. A report of the study, opens new tab by Soren Seier and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen is awaiting peer review. Researchers have identified a potentially crucial component of diabetic nerve pain that could lead to new treatments for the debilitating condition, they reported in Nature Communications, opens new tab. 'Treatment options are not great, and if the underlying diabetes is not managed, people may require amputation due to damage to the peripheral nerves to the point of loss of sensation,' study leader Stephanie Shiers of The University of Texas at Dallas said in a statement. In tissue samples from patients with diabetic neuropathy, the researchers found Nageotte nodules, which are dead sensory nerve cells that have decayed, inside clusters of nerve cells called sensory ganglia. The nodules 'appear to be a sign of degeneration' resulting from damage caused by high blood sugar levels, Shiers said. The finding that Nageotte nodules are a strong indicator of nerve cell death in human sensory ganglia suggests they could become a target for drugs that would protect the nerves or help manage diabetic neuropathy. 'In my view, one of the most important insights we gained from this work is thinking about treating diabetic neuropathic pain differently," senior author Dr. Ted Price of The University of Texas at Dallas said in a statement. "I think what we need to focus on now is neuroprotection at early stages of disease so that these Nageotte nodules do not form in the first place.' BREAST TISSUE TRAITS HELP PREDICT CANCER RISK Women with any of six different breast tissue textures may be at higher risk for breast cancer, researchers reported on Tuesday in Radiology, opens new tab. The researchers used computer algorithms to analyze mammograms of more than 30,000 women without breast cancer, looking for patterns and characteristics that might not be visible to the human eye. They identified six sets of characteristics and then looked at a further set of mammograms from another 3,500 women. The sets of traits, or phenotypes, were associated with a higher risk of invasive breast cancer in both Black and white women -- although it was higher among Black patients -- as well as a higher risk of having a cancer missed on a mammogram or developing a cancer in between scheduled routine mammograms, the researchers said. 'Breast cancer tends to be more aggressive in Black women, highlighting the need for novel risk factors in this population,' co-senior author Despina Kontos of Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In a separate study, researchers at the National Cancer Institute identified a series of changes in the architecture and cell composition of connective tissues of the breast, known as stromal tissue, associated with an increased risk of developing aggressive breast cancer among women with benign breast disease, and poorer rates of survival among women with invasive breast cancer. The changes, which they call stromal disruption, could potentially be used as a biomarker to identify women with noncancerous lumps, cysts, and other changes in breast tissue who are at high risk of developing aggressive breast cancers, as well as those with breast cancer who may be at increased risk of recurrence or death, the researchers said in a report to appear on Wednesday in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute, opens new tab. They used machine learning to detect subtle changes in the stroma of 4,023 donated samples of healthy breast tissue, 974 biopsies of tissue with benign breast disease, and 4,223 biopsies of tissue with invasive breast cancer. (This is an excerpt of the Health Rounds newsletter, where we present latest medical studies on Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Malaysian Reserve
14-05-2025
- Health
- Malaysian Reserve
New Study Challenges GLP-1 Norms With Strong Results on a Fraction of the Usual Dose
In one of the largest and longest real-world obesity studies to date, Embla tracked nearly 2,700 adults over 64 weeks and achieved 16.7% average weight loss using 66% less semaglutide than typical U.S. doses Results presented at the European Congress on Obesity, one of the world's top scientific meetings on obesity research, validate a personalized dosing model that pairs clinical oversight with structured coaching and tapering With GLP-1s projected to drive annual pharmacy costs above $150 billion, Embla formally launches its coaching-led, lower-dose care model to U.S. employers seeking sustainability AUSTIN, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Embla today announced results from a 64-week real-world study presented at the European Congress on Obesity, tracking nearly 2,700 adults in a digital GLP-1 treatment program. The study found that participants lost an average of 16.7% of their body weight on a mean dose of just 1.08 mg of semaglutide per week, substantially lower than the typical 2.4 mg target used in most U.S. treatment models. Nearly 98% of participants lost at least 5% of their starting body weight, a threshold widely recognized as clinically meaningful, and many sustained results even after tapering off the medication entirely. As GLP-1 adoption grows among U.S. employers, the study points to a path toward meaningful outcomes without escalating drug costs. It suggests that many patients may be escalated to higher doses by default, and that structured support, dose personalization, and behavioral coaching could offer a more sustainable model. Embla is now making its approach available to U.S. employers as an alternative to high-dose GLP-1 programs. 'GLP-1s are powerful tools, but the tools too often become the treatment. When care is designed around the drug, doses are pushed higher by default. But when care is designed around the patient, lower doses often prove sufficient,' said Nicholas Syhler, co-founder and co-CEO, Embla. 'Our landmark study confirms that patients can achieve strong outcomes with less medication and underscores the urgency for a more thoughtful and sustainable approach to obesity care. It's time to rethink how we define effective care.' GLP-1 use is skyrocketing across U.S. employer health plans, with annual spending projected to surpass $150 billion within the decade. While many weight care programs aim to combine medication access with coaching and support, the industry has largely normalized dose escalation as the default, often without clear tapering protocols or long-term planning. Employers are absorbing rising pharmacy costs and navigating pressure from patients and providers alike, sometimes in absence of clarity on how to sustain outcomes or manage treatment duration. Behind the landmark study's outcomes is a care model that departs meaningfully from the norms of U.S. GLP-1 programs. Embla uses a treat-to-target protocol that holds doses steady when patients are progressing, with fewer than 30 percent of users escalating beyond 1 mg per week. Every patient receives ongoing clinical oversight, access to trained human coaches and a structured tapering plan that begins once goals are met, which is a level of behavioral and pharmacologic integration still uncommon in the space. 'GLP-1s have created a wave of opportunity, but also a wave of confusion, especially in markets like the U.S. where cost, access, and care delivery often pull in different directions,' said Laust Wilster Axelsen, co-founder and co-CEO, Embla. 'Employers, clinicians, and patients all want better outcomes, but they also want predictability, safety, and a sense of control. Our model is built to deliver that with a clinical framework that supports tapering, reinforces behavior change and makes results more sustainable.' Embla's coaching is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), two evidence-based modalities shown to support lasting behavior change in weight management. This psychological layer complements the clinical protocol and is central to Embla's effort to make obesity care more durable, accessible, and patient-centered. Embla's study, titled 'Treat to Target in Weight Management with Semaglutide: Real-World Evidence from an eHealth Clinic,' is available as a preprint and under peer review. Full publication is expected later this year. For more information, visit About Embla Embla is a turnkey, digital weight care solution built for cost-conscious U.S. employers. Combining GLP-1 micro-dosing with expert psychology-based coaching, Embla delivers an average 16.7% weight loss in 12 months, using 66% less medication. That means better outcomes, fewer side effects, and lower costs. Embla's approach is validated by one of the world's largest real-world GLP-1 studies and supported by partnerships with the University of Copenhagen and biotech giant Novonesis. Founded in Denmark, the home of GLP-1, Embla is trusted by U.S. pharmacies and available in the U.S., the UK and Denmark. Media Contact:embla@
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Study Challenges GLP-1 Norms With Strong Results on a Fraction of the Usual Dose
In one of the largest and longest real-world obesity studies to date, Embla tracked nearly 2,700 adults over 64 weeks and achieved 16.7% average weight loss using 66% less semaglutide than typical U.S. doses Results presented at the European Congress on Obesity, one of the world's top scientific meetings on obesity research, validate a personalized dosing model that pairs clinical oversight with structured coaching and tapering With GLP-1s projected to drive annual pharmacy costs above $150 billion, Embla formally launches its coaching-led, lower-dose care model to U.S. employers seeking sustainability AUSTIN, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Embla today announced results from a 64-week real-world study presented at the European Congress on Obesity, tracking nearly 2,700 adults in a digital GLP-1 treatment program. The study found that participants lost an average of 16.7% of their body weight on a mean dose of just 1.08 mg of semaglutide per week, substantially lower than the typical 2.4 mg target used in most U.S. treatment models. Nearly 98% of participants lost at least 5% of their starting body weight, a threshold widely recognized as clinically meaningful, and many sustained results even after tapering off the medication entirely. As GLP-1 adoption grows among U.S. employers, the study points to a path toward meaningful outcomes without escalating drug costs. It suggests that many patients may be escalated to higher doses by default, and that structured support, dose personalization, and behavioral coaching could offer a more sustainable model. Embla is now making its approach available to U.S. employers as an alternative to high-dose GLP-1 programs. "GLP-1s are powerful tools, but the tools too often become the treatment. When care is designed around the drug, doses are pushed higher by default. But when care is designed around the patient, lower doses often prove sufficient," said Nicholas Syhler, co-founder and co-CEO, Embla. "Our landmark study confirms that patients can achieve strong outcomes with less medication and underscores the urgency for a more thoughtful and sustainable approach to obesity care. It's time to rethink how we define effective care." GLP-1 use is skyrocketing across U.S. employer health plans, with annual spending projected to surpass $150 billion within the decade. While many weight care programs aim to combine medication access with coaching and support, the industry has largely normalized dose escalation as the default, often without clear tapering protocols or long-term planning. Employers are absorbing rising pharmacy costs and navigating pressure from patients and providers alike, sometimes in absence of clarity on how to sustain outcomes or manage treatment duration. Behind the landmark study's outcomes is a care model that departs meaningfully from the norms of U.S. GLP-1 programs. Embla uses a treat-to-target protocol that holds doses steady when patients are progressing, with fewer than 30 percent of users escalating beyond 1 mg per week. Every patient receives ongoing clinical oversight, access to trained human coaches and a structured tapering plan that begins once goals are met, which is a level of behavioral and pharmacologic integration still uncommon in the space. "GLP-1s have created a wave of opportunity, but also a wave of confusion, especially in markets like the U.S. where cost, access, and care delivery often pull in different directions," said Laust Wilster Axelsen, co-founder and co-CEO, Embla. "Employers, clinicians, and patients all want better outcomes, but they also want predictability, safety, and a sense of control. Our model is built to deliver that with a clinical framework that supports tapering, reinforces behavior change and makes results more sustainable." Embla's coaching is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), two evidence-based modalities shown to support lasting behavior change in weight management. This psychological layer complements the clinical protocol and is central to Embla's effort to make obesity care more durable, accessible, and patient-centered. Embla's study, titled "Treat to Target in Weight Management with Semaglutide: Real-World Evidence from an eHealth Clinic," is available as a preprint and under peer review. Full publication is expected later this year. For more information, visit About Embla Embla is a turnkey, digital weight care solution built for cost-conscious U.S. employers. Combining GLP-1 micro-dosing with expert psychology-based coaching, Embla delivers an average 16.7% weight loss in 12 months, using 66% less medication. That means better outcomes, fewer side effects, and lower costs. Embla's approach is validated by one of the world's largest real-world GLP-1 studies and supported by partnerships with the University of Copenhagen and biotech giant Novonesis. Founded in Denmark, the home of GLP-1, Embla is trusted by U.S. pharmacies and available in the U.S., the UK and Denmark. Media Contact:embla@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Embla Sign in to access your portfolio
