Higher dose of Wegovy®▼ (semaglutide injection) led to average weight loss of 20.7 per cent

Novo Nordisk recently presented the results from the phase 3b STEP UP trial for weight management in adults living with obesity without diabetes at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions, in Chicago.

In the STEP UP trial, a higher dose of Wegovy® (once-weekly semaglutide 7.2 mg) demonstrated a mean weight loss of 20.7 per cent, with a third of participants losing 25 per cent or more of their body weight compared to placebo at 72 weeks. The trial data showed that semaglutide 7.2 mg demonstrated a well-tolerated safety profile.

“The STEP UP trial demonstrated that a higher dose of semaglutide 7.2 mg achieved greater weight loss than previously seen, with a comparable safety and tolerability profile to the 2.4 mg once-weekly dose of semaglutide,” said Sebnem Avsar Tuna, General Manager, Novo Nordisk UK. “Obesity is a chronic disease and with these results, semaglutide reaffirms its weight loss potential for people living with obesity, alongside previous results showing the health benefits that go beyond weight loss. As leaders in obesity treatment, we are committed to developing treatments that fit the needs of people living with obesity.”

When evaluating the effects of treatment if all participants adhered to treatment, semaglutide 7.2 mg achieved a superior weight loss of 20.7 per cent after 72 weeks compared to 17.5 per cent with semaglutide 2.4 mg and 2.4 per cent with placebo.

When evaluating the effect of treatment regardless of treatment adherence, people receiving semaglutide 7.2 mg achieved 18.7 per cent weight loss vs 3.9 per cent with placebo, and 90.7 per cent achieved 5 per cent or more weight loss with semaglutide 7.2 mg vs 36.8 per cent on placebo.

The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, and the vast majority were mild to moderate during dose escalation and diminished over time, consistent with the GLP-1 class.1 In STEP UP, 3.3 per cent of people treated with semaglutide 7.2 mg discontinued due to gastrointestinal adverse events, compared to 2.0 per cent with semaglutide 2.4 mg and zero per cent with placebo.1

An application for a label update for the 7.2 mg dose of Wegovy® is expected to be submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) shortly.