Abstract:
Introduction: The rising interest in obesity treatment has led to widespread use of diabetes medications—such as Liraglutide, Ozempic, Metformin, and Mounjaro—for weight loss. While these drugs show promise, many clinical trials studying them remain unpublished or discontinued. This study investigates the characteristics and factors associated with discontinuation and non-publication of obesity trials using diabetes injections.
Methods: Clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov through July 1, 2025, were reviewed. Trials completed within the past 24 months were excluded. Trials were categorized as discontinued if listed as terminated, withdrawn, or suspended, and as unpublished if no peer-reviewed publication was found. Collected variables included study type, phase, enrollment size, funding source, location, and participant demographics. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of discontinuation and non-publication.
Results: Of 439 included trials, 339 were completed, 42 were discontinued, and 58 had unknown status. Only 57.1% were published. Discontinued trials were significantly less likely to be published than completed ones (11.9% vs. 62.6%, p < 0.001). In regression analysis, discontinuation strongly predicted non-publication (OR = 0.05, p < 0.001), while reporting results increased the odds of publication (OR = 2.60, p = 0.007). Trials involving both children and adults were less likely to be published than adult-only trials (OR = 0.25, p = 0.041). Published trials were far less likely to be discontinued (OR = 22.6, p < 0.001). Trials with small sample sizes (≤100 participants) were more likely to be discontinued (OR = 4.78, p = 0.025), while phase 1 trials were more likely to be completed than early phase 1 (OR = 29.3, p = 0.023).
Conclusion: Many trials investigating diabetes injections for obesity remain unpublished, particularly those that are discontinued. Discontinuation and small enrollment were major predictors of both non-publication and early termination, underscoring the need for improved trial transparency and reporting.
