Can weekly semaglutide improve blood glucose in a real-world setting?

This study looked at how weekly semaglutide (Ozempic) affected patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a real-world setting. It found that semaglutide improved blood sugar control compared to the treatments patients were already taking.

For patients with T2D, the body does not respond well to the hormone insulin, which controls glucose (sugar) in the blood. After eating, the gut releases the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 directs the pancreas to create insulin. GLP-1 also affects digestion, increases fullness, and reduces appetite.

There are a variety of medications and lifestyle changes available to treat T2D. One group of medications acts like GLP-1. Liraglutide (Victoza) and exenatide (Byetta) are examples of this type of medication. GLP-1 mimics increase the amount of insulin the body produces after eating. They can be used alone or with a basal (long-lasting) synthetic insulin. GLP-1 mimics can also improve weight management.

Semaglutide is another medication which acts like GLP-1. Semaglutide is very long-lasting, so it only needs to be injected once a week. This medication was approved in clinical trials. However, standard treatment by your doctor is a different environment from a clinical trial. It is not clear how semaglutide compares to other diabetes treatments during routine care.

This study used records of 1,888 patients with T2D. All of the patients were American and filed insurance claims for once-weekly semaglutide. Their medical records included a blood glucose test in the three months before they first filed for semaglutide. They also had a test at least 90 days after filling their first prescription.

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is an estimate of blood glucose control over the previous two to three months. HbA1c significantly improved after taking semaglutide, with a reduction of 0.9%. There was an even stronger improvement for patients who started out with poor glucose control (HbA1c over 9%). HbA1c significantly improved by 2.2% for these patients.

796 patients had previously used a different GLP-1 mimicking medication. HbA1c improved by 0.6% for these patients.

This study found that weekly semaglutide improved glucose control for patients with T2D in a real-world setting.

This study was funded by Novo Nordisk and authored by employees of Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic. These results included all the patients who filled a semaglutide prescription, regardless of whether they continued using the medication.