Weight-loss drug may not measure up, new study shows

When people stop taking the new generation of weight-loss drugs they pile back on the kilos four times faster than they would after ending diet and exercise regimes, shows new research released yesterday.

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But this was mostly because they lost so much weight in the first place, according to the British researchers who conducted the largest and most up-to-date review of the subject.

A new generation of appetite-suppressing, injectable drugs called GLP-1 agonists have become immensely popular in the last few years, transforming the treatment for obesity and diabetes in many countries.

They have been found to help people lose between 15% and 20% of their body weight.

"This all appears to be a good news story," said Susan Jebb, a public health nutrition scientist at Oxford university and coauthor of a new BMJ study.