A drug intended for Type II diabetes has shown to be effective in inducing weight loss among patients, based on data from clinical trials.

The trials were conducted by Melanie J. Davies, MD of the University of Leicester in United Kingdom, and colleagues. Their findings now appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers performed safety and efficacy trials of the drug liraglutide involving type II diabetics who are overweight or obese.

There were 846 people who participated in the trials, which were conducted between June 2011 and January 2013, as reported in Medscape.

The participants were at the age of 18 years old and above and had a body mass index (BMI) measurement of 27.0 or higher.

They were randomly assigned to three groups: one group received 3.0 milligrams of liraglutide once a day subcutaneously; the second group received 1.8 mg of the drug; and the third group served as the control.

The subjects also observed a diet and were required to engage in physical activities.

The study found that the first group lost about 14 pounds; the second lost 11 pounds; and the third lost 5 pounds.

Those who lost at least five percent of their baseline body weight were at 54 percent of the members of the first group; 40 percent for the second; and 21 percent for the third group. 

For weight loss of 10 percent or more of the baseline weight, it was seen at 25 percent, 16 percent, and 7 percent of the first, second, and third groups, respectively. 

The team of researchers concluded that daily subcutaneous injections of liraglutide for type 2 diabetics who are obese or overweight can help with weight loss if administered for 56 weeks.

Liraglutide was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss last December 2014 under the brand name Saxenda. The drug should be given in three milligrams to type II diabetes patients with a BMI reading of 27 or higher.

On the other hand, liraglutide is also marketed under a different brand name — Victoza — when it's used for type II diabetes treatment. It contains 1.8 milligrams of the active ingredient.