In a new study, researchers found that patients with type 2 diabetes treated with a weekly injection of the breakthrough drug Semaglutide were able to achieve an average weight loss of nearly 10 kg.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Leicester and elsewhere.
In the study, the team tested 1,210 patients with type 2 diabetes in 12 countries. These patients’ current treatment was not achieving sufficient blood sugar control.
They showed that two-thirds of patients with type 2 diabetes that were treated with weekly injections of a 2.4mg dose of Semaglutide were able to lose at least 5% of their body weight and achieved big improvement in blood glucose control.
More than a quarter of patients were able to lose more than 15% of their body weight—far above that which has been observed with any other medicine administered to people with diabetes.
The researchers say that these results are exciting and represent a new era in weight management in people with type 2 diabetes—they mark a real paradigm shift in doctors’ ability to treat obesity, the results bring us closer to what we see with more invasive surgery.
It is also really encouraging that along with the weight loss we saw real improvements in general health, with a big improvement in physical functioning scores, blood pressure, and blood glucose control.
Previous clinical trials involving Semaglutide for weight management showed that the drug could help patients achieve an average weight loss between 10kg and 17kg of body weight.
The team says many patients can manage their type 2 diabetes by eating a healthy diet, taking regular exercise, and using medications to help control blood sugar or achieve glycemic control.
But for other patients who have not seen much improvement in spite of these methods, semiglutide is a promising development.
One author of the study is Melanie Davies, Professor of Diabetes Medicine.
The study is published in The Lancet.
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