Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide in Glycemic Control and Body Weight Management Among Obese Type 2 Diabetes Patients Initiated or Switched to Semaglutide From Other GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

Abstract

Background: Evidence of the efficacy and safety of semaglutide among patients with type 2 diabetes who were initiated on or were switched to semaglutide from other GLP-1 RAs remains limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the short-term effects of switching to semaglutide from other GLP-1 RAs.Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated patients with type 2 diabetes who were initiated on or were switched to semaglutide due to poor diabetes control with other GLP-1 RAs or other medications, or obesity. HbA1c, body weight, serum creatinine, serum uric acid, parameters of lipid metabolism, and parameters of liver function were measured before and 6 months after administration of semaglutide.Results: A total of 50 patients were registered: 21 men and 29 women, aged 51.3 years. Mean body mass index was 32.2 kg/m2, and serum C-peptide was 2.7mg/mL. After switching to semaglutide (n=43), HbA1c and body weight significantly decreased from 6.72 % to 6.22 % and from 86.5 kg to 82.7 kg, respectively. The same findings were observed in semaglutide-naïve patients (n=7). Serum uric acid, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio decreased significantly as well, whereas serum creatinine did not change significantly. Conclusion: Semaglutide showed excellent efficacy, even in patients switched from other GLP-1 RAs. Semaglutide appears to be a promising agent for blood glucose and body weight control in obese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and could be more potent in treating type 2 diabetes than existing GLP-1 RAs.