New results from a phase II trial suggest that the type 2 diabetes drug semaglutide can lead to a weight loss of up to 13.8 percent, over one year, in overweight or obese people. Researchers pitted semaglutide, a glucagon-like-peptide 1 (GLP-1) developed by Novo Nordisk, against a standard therapy combo of diet, exercise and placebo. Drugs that mimic GLP-1, or increase its levels in blood, work by stimulating insulin secretion from the pancreas and signal fullness to limit further food intake.
As a result, this hormone has been the focus of significant new drug development for type 2 diabetes and obesity in the past decade. One recent paper found that once-weekly semaglutide helped people with type 2 diabetes lose weight, experience less hypoglycemia and achieve better HbA1c levels. This latest trial, which lasted a year and included 957 people, tested different doses of once-daily…
