Semaglutide for weight management beneficial to Asians with overweight, obesity

Treatment with semaglutide induces weight loss in Asians with overweight or obesity, regardless of the presence of type 2 diabetes, according to the phase IIIa STEP 7 study.

STEP 7 enrolled 448 participants with overweight or obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes, from 23 hospitals and trial centres across China, Hong Kong, Brazil, and South Korea. Of these, 375 participants were randomly assigned to receive a subcutaneous injection of either semaglutide 2.4 mg (n=249) or placebo (n=126) once a week for 44 weeks. Treatment was given in addition to a diet and physical activity intervention.

The primary endpoints were the percentage change in mean bodyweight and the proportion of participants achieving a reduction of at least 5 percent in bodyweight from baseline to week 44. Safety was also assessed.

At week 44, the estimated mean percentage change in bodyweight from baseline was significantly greater with semaglutide than with placebo (−12.1 percent vs −3.6 percent; estimated treatment difference, –8.5 percentage points, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], –10.2 to –6.8; p<0.0001). Likewise, significantly more patients in the semaglutide than in the placebo group lost at least 5 percent of their bodyweight (85 percent vs 31 percent; odds ratio, 13.1, 95 percent CI, 7.4–23.1; p<0.0001).

In terms of safety, 93 percent of participants in the semaglutide group and 86 percent of those in the placebo group had adverse events, with the most common being gastrointestinal disorders (67 percent vs 36 percent).