medwireNews: Taking semaglutide 2.4 mg can reduce the likelihood of people with overweight or obesity developing type 2 diabetes, shows further analysis of STEP 1.
Around 44% of the 1961 STEP 1 participants had prediabetes, with an average glycated hemoglobin of 5.9% (41 mmol/mol). During the 68-week trial, those taking semaglutide lost, on average, 13.7% of their baseline bodyweight, which was in line with the 14.9% reduction in the cohort overall.
Reporting the latest findings at the virtual ADA 81st Scientific Sessions, Leigh Perreault (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, USA) revealed that 84.1% of the participants with prediabetes who were taking semaglutide reverted to normoglycemia, compared with 47.8% of those taking placebo.
A corresponding 15.3% versus 49.1% remained in the prediabetic range, and 0.5% versus 3.0% progressed to type 2 diabetes.
Among the people with baseline normoglycemia, 2.9% of those taking semaglutide progressed to prediabetes during the trial, but so did a significantly larger 10.9% of those taking placebo.
Reversion to normoglycemia was closely linked to the amount of weight lost, with rates in the semaglutide group ranging from 65.4% of those who lost less than 5% of their starting bodyweight to 95.3% of those who lost 20% or more. The pattern was the same in the placebo group, although the number of people with significant weight loss was much smaller; for example, three people lost 20% or more, compared with 142 people taking semaglutide.
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