GLP-1 Weight Management Programme

A medically supervised GLP-1 receptor agonist programme using semaglutide or liraglutide for men and women with excess weight or obesity. Includes metabolic baseline testing, personalised dosing with slow titration and ongoing monitoring and lifestyle support.

Dr Tan Medical Center's GLP-1 weight management programme offers supervised access to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists — the most clinically effective pharmacological tool currently available for obesity and metabolic syndrome. Dr Tan Kok Kuan is a member of the Singapore Association for the Study of Obesity and has extensive experience in medical weight loss, combining evidence-based pharmacotherapy with personalised lifestyle guidance. GLP-1 receptor agonists mimic the action of the naturally occurring intestinal hormone GLP-1, which is released after eating. They slow gastric emptying, reduce appetite, increase satiety signalling to the brain and — particularly in the case of semaglutide — also act centrally in the hypothalamus to reduce food-seeking behaviour. Clinical trials show that semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) achieves an average of 15% body weight reduction over 68 weeks, with some patients achieving considerably more. Liraglutide (Saxenda) produces an average of 8–10% reduction with similar tolerability. The programme begins with a full medical consultation to assess eligibility. The doctor takes a history of the patient's weight trajectory, dietary patterns, physical activity, sleep quality, previous weight loss attempts and any medications or conditions that may affect GLP-1 safety (contraindications include personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 syndrome). A baseline metabolic blood panel is ordered: fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, full lipid profile, liver function tests, thyroid function (TSH), full blood count and creatinine. This panel characterises the patient's metabolic baseline, identifies co-existing conditions that benefit from GLP-1 therapy (pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and provides safety monitoring comparators. Dosing follows a slow titration schedule to minimise gastrointestinal side effects, particularly nausea and loose stools, which are the most common complaints in the first four to eight weeks. The majority of patients find these resolve substantially as the body adapts. For oral semaglutide (Rybelsus — the only orally bioavailable GLP-1 agonist registered in Singapore), dosing begins at 3 mg daily and is titrated at monthly intervals to 7 mg and then 14 mg based on tolerability and response. For liraglutide (Saxenda), subcutaneous injection begins at 0.6 mg daily and is titrated weekly to a target of 3.0 mg. Follow-up appointments at four to six weeks review weight progress, tolerability, side effect management and dose escalation decisions. Blood tests are repeated at three months and thereafter to confirm metabolic improvement and exclude adverse effects on liver, renal or thyroid function. Dietary and lifestyle guidance is integrated throughout the programme.