AIG Hospitals Study Finds ESG Beats Oral Weight Loss Pills In Short Term

A study by researchers at the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) Hospitals in Hyderabad, published on July 1, 2026, has revealed that Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty (ESG) achieves greater short-term weight loss in Indian adults compared to oral weight-loss tablets. The real-world observational study tracked 150 patients between January 2024 and April 2025 to compare the non-surgical stomach-suturing procedure against daily oral semaglutide.

The research cohort consisted of 50 patients who underwent the ESG procedure and 100 individuals who took a daily 14 mg dose of oral semaglutide.

At the six-month mark, patients who underwent ESG achieved a significantly higher average total body weight loss of 12.72 percent, compared to 8.67 percent in the oral tablet group. Furthermore, approximately 70 percent of the ESG patients achieved the 10 percent weight-loss threshold necessary to improve diabetes and fatty liver, while only 43 percent of those taking the oral drug reached that milestone.

By the 12-month mark, however, the statistical gap between the two treatments narrowed, showing 11.92 percent weight loss for ESG patients compared to 10.91 percent for the oral drug group. According to the researchers, this narrowing occurred as real-world challenges, including medication costs and adherence, caused some patients in the tablet group to discontinue their therapy.

The researchers urged caution when interpreting these findings, noting that the data has inherent limitations. The study was a retrospective, single-centre, real-world cohort study rather than a randomized controlled trial. Additionally, the comparison applies only to the 14 mg dose of oral semaglutide and cannot be extrapolated to higher-dose injectable GLP-1 drugs or newer dual-incretin therapies.

Dr. Nitin Jagtap, a gastroenterologist at AIG Hospitals, emphasized that obesity treatment must be individualized. He noted that while ESG offers a stronger early push in weight loss, the procedure is a structured intervention designed to give patients a window of opportunity to reset eating patterns and build sustainable lifestyle habits.

AIG Chairman Dr. D. Nageshwar Reddy added that the overarching goal is to help patients achieve clinically meaningful weight loss and sustain it through long-term behavioral and metabolic care.