Abstract:
Background
Embla Aps was established to improve access to effective, sustainable, and cost-effective management of obesity. Embla’s medically supervised digital program provides a scalable solution through our purpose-built application and approach combining medical treatment and lifestyle intervention. Our comprehensive obesity management program combines anti-obesity medication (AOM) with a proprietary lifestyle intervention, 1:1 coaching, and digital tracking. Embla´s obesity management program is currently available for citizens in Denmark and the UK.
Objective
Our primary objective was to explore the impact of a multi-disciplinary obesity management program during a 40-week follow-up period (26 weeks is the primary follow-up) with respect to change in body weight and use of AOM.
Methods
This study is a real-world, new-user cohort based on the Danish embla user database, including individuals signing up for the weight loss program no later than the 31st of March 2023. This cohort includes adult individuals with obesity in Denmark. All participant contact, data collection, and monitoring were completed through a mobile application and online calls. Participants were treated with the AOM semaglutide (as s.c. Ozempic with a max. dose of 2.0 mg, or s.c. Wegovy with a max. dose of 2.4 mg) based on evaluations of clinical appropriateness according to Embla’s internal prescription and obesity management guidelines.
Results
In this real-world new-user cohort, a total of 1,057 participants were included. At 26 weeks, 324 were still in the study, as 222 stopped subscription early and 511 had less than 26 weeks possible follow-up. At week 40, 82 participants were still in the study. The Embla program produced an average weight loss of 13.1% (95%CI, 12.8% to 13.4%) at week 26 with sustained results at week 40 with an average weight loss of 16.1% (95%CI, 15.2 to 17.1) for the earliest participants. The participants only used between 41 and 58% of the suggested cumulative dose while demonstrating a sustainable weight loss.
In addition, 96.9% of the participants had lost > 5% of their body weight and 79.4% had lost > 10% of their body weight at week 26. Analyses of participants’ outset (BMI at baseline) and their use of semaglutide (max. dose) revealed no difference between the different BMI-groups in terms of their achieved weight loss and their max. dose of semaglutide. Furthermore, there was no difference in lost body weight regardless of participants max. dose of semaglutide.
Conclusion
With a continued double-digit average weight loss, these analyses uncover an ongoing clinical impact of combining AOM with lifestyle intervention in a cohort of people impacted by obesity in a real-world setting. Limitations include lack of control surrounding data collection and susceptibility to multiple biases due to the nature of the study design.
Ongoing iterations and quality improvements of the Embla obesity management program is to ensure results that will continue to improve with scale, while future investigations will provide insights on participants changes of habits as well as de-escalation of AOM. In conclusion, regardless of the participants’ BMI upon enrolment they achieve a clinically relevant weight loss through a dedicated lifestyle intervention in combination with a personalized dosage of semaglutide.
What will audience learn from your presentation
? All communication with participants and retrieval of all relevant information was done through a dedicated mobile application and online calls
? This real-world new-user cohort including > 1,000 participants provides novel insights into the clinical usage and value of semaglutide for people impacted by obesity
? This digital obesity management program produced an average weight loss of 13.1 and 16.1% at week 26 and 40, respectively, while using approximately half of the expected cumulative dose of AOM
? Participants in this cohort achieved a clinically relevant weight loss regardless of their initial BMI and the amount of AOM dosed during a 26 to 40 week weight loss period
? These analyses provides novel insights into the value of combining AOM and lifestyle interventions through a digital obesity management program in a real-world clinical setting
