Independent · non-commercial · publishes on a quarterly cycle|Current cycle 2026 Q3
Compound Evidence InstituteEvidence synthesis · established 2023Graded assessments of compounds, trials, methods and supply
Document set current to 30 July 2026
Indication assessment · §4

Sarcopenia and lean-mass preservation during weight reduction — compounds assessed

The 6 compounds the Institute assesses in sarcopenia and lean-mass preservation during weight reduction.

Document identifier
CEI-IN-29/4
Series
Indication assessment
Version
2.2
Published
24 Jul 2025
Last reviewed
24 Jul 2025
Next review
24 Jul 2027
Identifier
10.71829/cei.ind.29
Certainty
Not rated
Cycle
2025 Q3
ICD-11
FB32.Y
Category
Musculoskeletal

§4Compounds assessed

Compounds the Institute assesses in this indication, with the class of each and its overall certainty. A compound appears here whether or not the evidence supports its use, because recording that a compound has been studied and found wanting is as much part of the assessment as recording that one has not.

  • GLP-1 receptor agonist (acylated, long-acting)1 contributing trialfull monograph

    Approximately 39 % of total mass lost was lean mass in the DXA substudy — The proportion is broadly consistent with dietary weight loss but the substudy is small and single-trial.

    Low
  • Dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist (acylated)1 contributing trialfull monograph

    Approximately 25 % of total mass lost was lean mass in the body-composition substudy — Lower lean-mass fraction than reported for dietary weight loss in the same programme, but the substudy is small.

    Low
  • Growth-hormone-releasing hormone analogue with albumin-binding drug affinity complex0 contributing trialsfull monograph

    No randomised human evidence identified — Body-composition claims rest on mechanistic reasoning, not on trial evidence.

    Very low
  • Growth-hormone secretagogue, ghrelin receptor agonist (hexapeptide)0 contributing trialsfull monograph

    No randomised human evidence identified for a body-composition outcome — Approval for a diagnostic indication is not evidence of therapeutic benefit, and the Institute states this explicitly wherever a diagnostic approval exists.

    Very low
  • Recombinant insulin-like growth factor 1 analogue0 contributing trialsfull monograph

    No randomised human evidence identified for this analogue — Native recombinant IGF-1 has an approved indication in severe primary IGF-1 deficiency; that evidence does not transfer to a binding-protein-evading analogue.

    Very low
  • Growth-hormone secretagogue, selective ghrelin receptor agonist (pentapeptide)0 contributing trialsfull monograph

    No randomised human evidence identified — Body-composition claims are not supported by trial evidence.

    Very low

References cited on this page

References are numbered in order of first citation in this document. Each superscript in the text links to its entry below.

  1. Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, Davies M, Van Gaal LF, Lingvay I, McGowan BM, Rosenstock J, Tran MTD, Wadden TA, Wharton S, Yokote K, Zeuthen N, Kushner RF. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. New England Journal of Medicine 2021;384(11):989–1002. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2032183 · PMID 33567185

Identifiers are reproduced only where the Institute holds them. Where a digital object identifier or PubMed identifier is not shown, the Institute has recorded the journal and year and has not constructed an identifier.

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