Phase 3 — Liraglutide 3.0 mg (Saxenda)
SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes: trial summary, limitations and UK relevance
Liraglutide 3.0 mg produced greater mean body-weight reduction than placebo over 56 weeks in adults with overweight or obesity. SCALE established the original phase-3 evidence base for the licensing of Saxenda for chronic weight management.
Key findings
Liraglutide 3.0 mg produced greater mean body-weight reduction than placebo over 56 weeks in adults with overweight or obesity. SCALE established the original phase-3 evidence base for the licensing of Saxenda for chronic weight management.
Safety summary
GI events were the most frequent adverse-event class. Gallbladder events were reported more frequently with liraglutide.
Limitations
- Effect size lower than newer GLP-1 (semaglutide 2.4 mg) and dual/triple-agonist comparators.
- Daily dosing burden compared with weekly newer agents.
UK relevance
Foundational evidence supporting the MHRA licence for liraglutide 3.0 mg (Saxenda) for chronic weight management.
- Does not establish CV benefit in non-diabetic obesity (LEADER population was T2D).
- Does not establish equivalence with newer obesity pharmacotherapies.
Related peptide profiles
Related trials
No published trials yet linked to this page. Source verification required.
Related conditions
Related mechanisms
Related safety signals
Sources are tagged by class. Regulatory documents, peer-reviewed publications and trial registry records are preferred. Manufacturer disclosures and conference material are accepted where peer-reviewed publication is not yet available; preprints are flagged.
- Peer-reviewed publicationPi-Sunyer X et al., A randomised, controlled trial of 3.0 mg of liraglutide in weight management (SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes). NEJM 2015.
- Trial registry recordClinicalTrials.gov NCT01272219