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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
Published on: May 30, 2025
Exenatide therapy in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with insulin
Prabhakar Viswanathan1, Ajay Chaudhuri, Ruchi Bhatia
1The Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, State University of New York, Buffalo, and Kaleida Health, Buffalo, New York, USA.
Objective:
To evaluate the effect of exenatide on clinical parameters in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus whose hyperglycemia is not adequately controlled despite treatment with oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin.
Methods:
In this retrospective analysis, clinical progress of 52 obese patients with type 2 diabetes treated with exenatide, 5 mcg twice daily, in an outpatient setting was reviewed. Treatment initiation was between September and December 2005. Mean follow-up period was 26 weeks. Thirty-eight patients took exenatide regularly (Group A); 14 patients discontinued exenatide because of insurance, personal, or economic reasons (Group B). Measurements at baseline and at follow-up included body weight; blood pressure; and levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), and plasma lipids. Insulin dosage requirements were assessed.
Results:
Mean body weight (+/- standard error of the mean) decreased by 6.46 +/- 0.8 kg (P<.001) in Group A and increased by 2.4 +/- 0.6 kg in Group B (P<001). In Group A, mean HbA1c decreased by 0.6 +/- 0.21% (P = .007), and the insulin dosage requirement decreased for rapid-acting and mixed insulins (P<.02). In Group A, means of the following parameters decreased: serum total cholesterol by 8.5 +/- 3.3% (P = .03), triglycerides by 26 +/- 7.6% (P = .01), systolic blood pressure by 9.2 +/- 3.3 mm Hg (P = .02), and high-sensitivity CRP by 34 +/- 14.3% (P = .05). These indices did not change in Group B.
Conclusion:
Exenatide effectively treats obese patients with type 2 diabetes on insulin, leading to weight loss and reduction in levels of HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and high-sensitivity CRP.
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