Disease × agent evidence record

Liraglutide for Obesity: evidence, trials and status

Liraglutide has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Obesity. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit.

8 registered trials 0 recruiting 19 publications Evidence tier A · Strong Score 76.5
Research Tracker › Pairs › Obesity › Liraglutide
Research map, not treatment advice. This page aggregates registry and literature records. It does not evaluate efficacy, dosing or safety for any individual. Discuss any treatment decision with a qualified clinician.

Summary

Liraglutide has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Obesity would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Obesity. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Liraglutide to Obesity: 6 have completed; 2 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT04122716). It plans or enrolled 215 participants. Registration activity spans 2011 to 2024. The literature layer holds 19 publications for this pair: 5 Cochrane reviews, 5 meta-analyses, 3 systematic reviews, 1 randomised controlled trial publication and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2025 to 2026. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.

The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Obesity ranks 368 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Sustained weight loss of >5% without intervention: ~5-10% at 2 years; weight regain almost universal after behavioural intervention alone (95% return to within 5% of starting weight at 5 years on lifestyle alone).

Open in Repurposing ExplorerObesity hubObesity biomarkers & interventions

Evidence table

Evidence tierA · Strong
Evidence score76.5 (trials 26.5, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0)
Registered trials8 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 6 completed, 2 other
Linked publications19 (5 Cochrane reviews, 5 meta-analyses, 5 clinical trial publications, 3 systematic reviews, 1 randomised controlled trial publication)
Agent typeDrug (Small molecule)
Development stage (any indication)Approved
Mechanism / classNot recorded
Data sourcesDGIdb
Linked via biomarker / targetCNR1
How the evidence score is calculated
  • Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
  • Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
  • The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
  • Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
  • The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.

Registered clinical trials

NCT IDTitleStatusPhaseEnrolment
NCT06533527Holding vs. Continuing Incretin-based Therapies Before Upper Endoscopy
2024
completedPhase 469
NCT04122716Combined Effects of GLP-1 Analogue and Exercise on Maintenance of Weight Loss and Health After Very-low Calorie Diet
2016
status unknownPhase 4215
NCT01234649Combined Liraglutide and Metformin Therapy in Women With Previous Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)
2011
completedPhase 3153
NCT03374956Individualized Obesity Pharmacotherapy
2017
completedPhase 3193
NCT04903509A Study in Men With Overweight to Test How Well Different Doses of BI 1820237 Are Tolerated When Given as an Injection Alone or in Combination With Liraglutide
2021
completedPhase 195
NCT03757130Multiple Ascending Dose Study of AMG 598 in Adults With Obesity
2018
completedPhase 150
NCT06217848The Effect of GLP-1 Agonist in Patients With Hypothalamic Obesity: Prospective, Pilot Study
2022
status unknownEarly Phase 150
NCT03479762In Market Utilisation of Liraglutide Used for Weight Management in the UK: a Study in the CPRD Primary Care Database
2018
completedNot applicable105

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Published literature

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Mechanism and notes

No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.

OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CNR1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Frequently asked questions

Is Liraglutide approved for Obesity?

Liraglutide has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Obesity would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Obesity. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.

Is Liraglutide in clinical trials for Obesity?

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Liraglutide to Obesity: 6 have completed; 2 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT04122716). It plans or enrolled 215 participants. Registration activity spans 2011 to 2024.

What does the evidence show for Liraglutide in Obesity?

Liraglutide has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Obesity. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CNR1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Cite this page

Open Source Medicine Foundation. Liraglutide for Obesity: evidence, trials and status. OSMF Research Tracker. Updated 2026-07-05. https://research.opensourcemed.info/pairs/obesity/liraglutide.html

Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.

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This is a research map, not treatment advice. Evidence tiers and scores summarise what has been studied, not whether a treatment works or is safe for you.