Doctors often reserve these treatments for people with a BMI of over 30 kg/m or those who have obesity-related health complications, like high blood pressure or diabetes. Researchers have found that people with a BMI of 27 kg/m or greater who take orlistat for more than two months could lose 12.3 pounds on average.
A 2017 review published in Obesity Science & Practice found that across five trials, obese participants lost weight when taking liraglutide compared with participants on a placebo.