Obesity Treatment with Botulinum Toxin-A Is Not Effective: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The effectiveness of gastric injections of botulinum toxin-A (BTA) as primary treatment for obesity is not well known since results in literature are discrepant. Hence, we aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the available data to assess the real effect of BTA therapy. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, SCOPUS, EBSCO, LILACS, and BVS. We considered eligible only randomized controlled trials enrolling obese patients comparing BTA versus saline injections. Our initial search identified 8811 records. Six studies fulfilled eligibility criteria. After critical appraisal, two articles were excluded and we meta-analyzed the remainder. The mean difference for absolute weight loss and BMI reduction were 0.12 [CI 95%, - 1.14, 1.38] and - 0.06 [95% CI, - 0.92, 0.81], respectively. Therefore, we concluded that treatment of obesity with BTA is not effective.