Semaglutide confers weight reduction benefits in adults

      Obesity, a global health challenge is the major cause of many adverse health conditions such as diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, and reduces life expectancy.

      A double-blinded trial which investigated the effect of semaglutide on the obesity reduction revealed that it is a potential drug that serves the purpose. The study recruited 1961 adults with a body-mass index of < 30 or greater (≥27 in persons with ≥1 weight-related coexisting condition), who did not have diabetes, and randomly assigned them, in a 2:1 ratio, to 68 weeks of treatment with once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide (at a dose of 2.4 mg) or placebo, and lifestyle interventions. The mean change in body weight from baseline to week 68 was −14.9% in the semaglutide group as compared with −2.4% with placebo, for an estimated treatment difference of −12.4 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI], −13.4 to −11.5; P>0.001). More participants in the semaglutide group than in the placebo group achieved weight reductions of 5% or more (1047 participants [86.4%] vs. 182 [31.5%]), 10% or more (838 [69.1%] vs. 69 [12.0%]), and 15% or more (612 [50.5%] vs. 28 [4.9%]) at week 68 (P>0.001 for all three comparisons of odds).

      The change in body weight from baseline to week 68 was −15.3 kg in the semaglutide group as compared with −2.6 kg in the placebo group (estimated treatment difference, −12.7 kg; 95% CI, −13.7 to −11.7). Participants who received semaglutide had a greater improvement with respect to cardiometabolic risk factors and a greater increase in participant-reported physical functioning from baseline than those who received placebo. Nausea and diarrhea were the most common adverse events with semaglutide; mild-to-moderate in severity and subsided with time.

      The study revealed that in participants with overweight or obesity, 2.4 mg of semaglutide once weekly and appropriate lifestyle intervention was associated with sustained, clinically relevant reduction in body weight.

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Tirzepatide contributes to reduction in HbA1c and body weight in adults with T2D

      Tirzepatide is a once-weekly dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that collates the actions of both incretins into a single novel molecule. The SURPASS trials which evaluated the efficiency and safety the three doses (5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg) of tirzepatide compared to placebo revealed that statistically significant reduction in HbA1c and body weight from baseline and in the percentage of participants who achieved an A1c of less than 7% percent or less than 5.7 %. The trial included almost 2,000 participants with type 2 diabetes who took different doses of tirzepatide, insulin, or placebo medication for 40 and 52 weeks. The most commonly reported adverse events were gastrointestinal-related and mild to moderate in severity, usually occurring during the dose enhancement period. The study also reported the occurrence of hypoglycemia less than one hour a day.

      Tirzepatide is in phase 3 development for blood glucose management in adults with type 2 diabetes and for chronic weight management and has not yet been approved. The results from the trials are encouraging and bring hope to the entire type 2 diabetes community.

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