Which obesity medication is a once-daily injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist dosed at 3.0 mg for weight management and carries a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell risk?

Which obesity medication is a once-daily injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist dosed at 3.0 mg for weight management and carries a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell risk?

• A. Semaglutide (Wegovy)
• B. Liraglutide (Saxenda)
• C. Orlistat (Xenical)
• D. Naltrexone/bupropion (Contrave)

Answer: (B)

A key idea here is that some obesity medications use GLP-1 receptor activation to curb appetite. Among the injectable options, liraglutide is given once daily with a target dose of 3 mg per day for weight management. Its label includes a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors, based on rodent data, so clinicians screen for thyroid issues and avoid use in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2. The other medications listed don’t fit: semaglutide for weight loss is dosed weekly (not daily) and at a different daily-equivalent amount, while orlistat is a lipase inhibitor, and naltrexone/bupropion is a different mechanism altogether.

A key idea here is that some obesity medications use GLP-1 receptor activation to curb appetite. Among the injectable options, liraglutide is given once daily with a target dose of 3 mg per day for weight management. Its label includes a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors, based on rodent data, so clinicians screen for thyroid issues and avoid use in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2. The other medications listed don’t fit: semaglutide for weight loss is dosed weekly (not daily) and at a different daily-equivalent amount, while orlistat is a lipase inhibitor, and naltrexone/bupropion is a different mechanism altogether.