Scientists have just made a discovery that could have huge ramifications for the health world: they may have proved the existence of an exciting new tool in the battle against type 2 diabetes.

It’s called liraglutide, and high doses of it appear to help patients not only fight type diabetes, but also lose weight, according to a new study as reported by HealthDay News.

The study looked into liraglutide over a 56-week period. Liraglutide is produced by drugmaker Novo Nordisk.

He found that people who took 3 milligrams of the drug over this period lost an average of 6 percent of their body weight, which amounted to a staggering 14 pounds — again, on average.

The drug, sold under the brand name of Victoza, is typically used to treat type 2 diabetes but only at a dosage of 1.8 mg per day. The 3 mg dosage is sold under the brand name Saxenda.

Dr. Joel Zonszein of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, who wasn’t involved in the trial, said according to the report that the study is the first to investigate just how effective liraglutide is for type 2 diabetes sufferers in terms of weight management for the higher dosage.

Zonszein criticized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s arbitrary restrictions against higher dosage of liraglutide, arguing that it is arbitrary and that this latest study proves it can be hugely beneficial for patients in terms of weight loss. He said it would give a new tool to help obese patients who have diabetes to battle the problem.

The study, which was published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined 846 overweight to obese patients who had diabetes. They were each randomly assigned either the higher or lower dosage. It found that at the lower dosage, patients lost an average of nearly 5 percent, or 11 pounds, while those taking the placebo lost only 2 percent, or 5 pounds.

Those that took the 3 mg dose lost at least 5 percent of their body 54 percent of the time, versus just 40 percent for the 1.8 mg dose. It was just 21 percent for the placebo.

And those who were on the high dosage of liraglutide lost at least 10 percent of their body weight 25 percent of the time, versus just 16 percent for the low dosage and 7 percent for those on the placebo. This was in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.

The problem is that liraglutide isn’t approved to treat diabetes at the higher dosages, Zonszein said according to the report, so insurance companies won’t cover the cost of the drug when physicians prescribe them to diabetics. This study shows that this may be a wasted opportunity. The most they are allowed to prescribe is the lower 1.8 mg dosage, which the study shows is not quite as effective.

This is a problem because liraglutide is so expensive, running $800 to $1,000 per month at the higher dose.