Efficacy of Oral Antiobesity Medications With Versus Without Adjunct Behavioral Weight Management Treatment

ABSTRACT Objective Guidelines recommend pairing antiobesity medications (AOMs) with behavioral treatment. This 12‐week, two‐arm randomized controlled trial evaluated oral AOMs with versus without behavioral treatment. Methods We recruited 101 patients eligible for bupropion and naltrexone from a telehealth weight management clinic (WeightWatchers Clinic). Participants were randomized to (i) bupropion and naltrexone ( n = 50) or (ii) bupropion and naltrexone with behavioral treatment (WeightWatchers) ( n = 51). Remote measurements of body weight, behavioral, and psychosocial measures were completed at baseline and week 12. The primary outcome was the 12‐week change in weight (kg). ANCOVA assessed differences in changes between groups. Results Participants ( n = 101) were mostly female (94.1%), average 43.9 years old (SD: 10.7), with a mean BMI of 37.0 kg/m 2 (SD: 6.3). At 12 weeks, those receiving behavioral treatment lost significantly more absolute and percent weight than those without behavioral treatment (mean difference: −1.8 kg, p = 0.03; mean difference: −1.6%, p = 0.04). Conclusions Combining oral AOMs with behavioral treatment via telemedicine resulted in significantly greater weight loss than medications alone, supporting the recommendation to pair AOMs with behavioral treatment. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06470659