WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4, 2023 (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 percent of patients, the proportion of days covered (PDC) within the first six months was more than 60 percent. In the intent-to-treat analysis, there were significant reductions in HbA1c (by 0.77 percent to a mean of 6.82 percent) 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 percent 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, M.D., 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.

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