Once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide treatment for persons with type 2 diabetes: Real-world data from a diabetes out-patient clinic.
Diabet Med · 2021
Last updated 2026-05-28In a study of 119 people with type 2 diabetes, those who had never taken GLP-1 drugs before saw their blood sugar control improve by 1.2% and lost an average of 5 kg after 12 months of once-weekly semaglutide. Those who had taken GLP-1 drugs before saw smaller improvements, with blood sugar control improving by 0.6% and weight loss averaging 3.2 kg over the same period.
AI summary of the abstract below.
| Journal | Diabet Med, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Citations | 21 |
| Relative citation ratio | 1.35 |
| NIH percentile | 61 |
| Molecules | semaglutide |
| Conditions studied | Type 2 Diabetes |
Abstract
AIMS: The once-weekly administered glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) semaglutide, has, in clinical trials, demonstrated significant reductions in glycated haemoglobin A (HbA ) and body weight in persons with type 2 diabetes. We evaluated the real-world clinical effects of semaglutide once weekly in a hospital-based diabetes out-patient clinic.
METHODS: This retrospective observational cohort study included persons with type 2 diabetes (n = 119) on a broad range of antidiabetic medicine: GLP-1RA naïve persons (n = 37) and GLP-1RA-experienced persons (n = 82). Person characteristics at inclusion: age [median (quartiles)]: 65 (57, 72) years; body weight 99 (86, 118) kg; body mass index (BMI) 33 (29, 38) kg/m²; HbA 61 (54, 69) mmol/mol/(7.7 (7.1, 8.5) %). Data were collected at baseline and after 3, 6 and 12 months of semaglutide treatment. Data were analysed using a general linear mixed model for repeated measurements.
RESULTS: After 12 months, the reductions in HbA were (mean [95% confidence interval]: GLP-1RA naïve: -12.8 [-17.0, -8.5] mmol/mol/ -1.2 [-1.6, -0.8]% (p < 0.01) and GLP-1RA experienced: -6.4 [-9.0, -3.8] mmol/mol/ -0.6 [-0.8, -0.4]% (p < 0.01), respectively. Body weight reductions in GLP-1RA naïve: -5 [-6.9, -3.1] kg (p < 0.01) and GLP-1RA experienced: -3.2 [-4.4, -2.0] kg (p < 0.01), respectively. Seventy-five percent received 1 mg QW semaglutide.
CONCLUSION: We observed effects of semaglutide once weekly on HbA and body weight comparable with the effects observed in clinical studies with fewer persons in our cohort receiving maximum dose of semaglutide.
Verbatim abstract via PubMed 34291491 ↗
Related research
- Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
- Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity.
- Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes.
- A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Subcutaneous Semaglutide in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis.
- Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
- Oral Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
- Effects of Semaglutide on Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
- Semaglutide in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Obesity.