(HealthDay News) — Use of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide is associated with sustained reductions in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and body weight, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held from Oct. 2 to 6 in Hamburg, Germany.
Cheli Melzer-Cohen, from Maccabi Health Services in Tel Aviv, Israel, and colleagues examined the effect of subcutaneous semaglutide on HbA1c and weight reduction in a large cohort of adult patients treated for up to three years. Data were included for 23,442 patients (mean age, 62.2 years; mean weight, 94.1 kg; mean body mass index, 33.7 kg/m2;mean HbA1c, 7.6 percent).
The researchers found that among 75% of patients, the proportion of days covered (PDC) within the first six months was more than 60%. In the intent-to-treat analysis, there were significant reductions in HbA1c (by 0.77% to a mean of 6.82%) and in body weight (by 4.7 kg to a mean of 89.7 kg). The decreases in HbA1c and weight were more pronounced for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1-RA)-naive patients than those who had previously received GLP-1-RA (HbA1c, −0.87 versus −0.54 percent; weight, −5.51 versus −3.01 kg). Patients with PDC ≥60 versus <60% had greater reductions in both HbA1c and weight. In the intent-to-treat analysis, reductions in both HbA1c and weight were maintained over three years. In the as-treated analysis, the durable pattern of reduction was more evident.
“In this large real-world study, we were able to show durable reductions in HbA1c and body weight with emphasis on drug adherence,” coauthor Avraham Karasik, MD, also from Maccabi Health Services, said in a statement. “Data are in line with results in randomized controlled trials and show the long-term stable benefit of once-weekly semaglutide.”
The study was funded by Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of semaglutide.
