Daijiworld Media Network – London

London, Apr 25: An outpatient endoscopic procedure used to treat type 2 diabetes may help prevent people from regaining weight after discontinuing GLP-1 drugs, according to interim results from a clinical trial.

Researchers said patients in the trial had each lost at least 15 percent of their body weight using Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide before stopping the medication.

Participants either underwent duodenal mucosal resurfacing — a procedure aimed at improving blood sugar control — or a sham procedure.

Interim findings from the first 45 participants showed those who underwent the sham procedure regained 40 percent more weight at six months compared to those who received the treatment.

Researchers said patients with the greatest degree of tissue resurfacing maintained more than 80 percent of their weight loss and regained an average of about 7 pounds, roughly half that seen in the control group.

The procedure uses heat to destroy the interior lining of the duodenum, allowing healthier tissue to regenerate and potentially resetting metabolic responses.

Study leader Dr Shelby Sullivan of Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine said the findings may offer an alternative for patients who stop GLP-1 medications due to cost, side effects or reluctance to remain on long-term drug therapy.

The procedure is approved in Europe for type 2 diabetes patients but remains experimental in the United States.

Researchers plan to present the findings at the upcoming Digestive Diseases Week meeting in Chicago, while trial sponsor Fractyl Health has said it expects to release six-month data on the full study population and seek regulatory approval by the end of 2026.