Higher Dose of Semaglutide Shows Promise for Weight Loss
A higher weekly dose of semaglutide (7.2 mg) can significantly improve weight loss and related health outcomes in adults living with obesity, including those with Type 2 diabetes, according to the results of two large-scale, international phase 3 clinical trials.
The findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes and endocrinology journal, suggest that a higher dose of semaglutide offers a promising new option for people with obesity, including those with diabetes, who haven’t achieved enough weight loss with existing treatments.
The STEP UP and STEP UP diabetes clinical trials are the first to investigate whether increasing the dose of semaglutide from the currently approved dose of 2.4 mg to 7.2 mg is safe and leads to additional weight reduction.
What is semaglutide?
Semaglutide is an anti-diabetic and anti-obesity medication used for long-term weight management. It mimics the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, which regulates insulin secretion. You can get it as a subcutaneous injection or take it orally.
Why is the study significant?
According to Sean wharton from the Faculty of Medicine,University of Toronto,and other researchers of the STEP UP Trial,the “greater magnitude of bodyweight change with semaglutide 7.2 mg, compared with lower doses, could help with managing obesity-related complications, which hadn’t been addressed with previous treatments.”
Mumbai-based Dr. Aparna Govil Bhasker, a bariatric and laparoscopic surgeon (not part of the trial), said these trials help us understand that obesity is a disease, not a self-implicated problem that doesn’t deserve treatment. “Obesity is a disease and needs to be treated based on its stage and severity. Diet and lifestyle changes, weight loss medications, and bariatric surgery are different parts of treatment. You might need them alone or together, depending on how severe the disease is,” she said.
What was the trial all about?
STEP UP was a Phase 3, randomised, controlled trial lasting 72 weeks, with a 9-week off-treatment follow-up. Novo Nordisk funded the trial, which was conducted across 95 hospitals.