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Study · Systematic review · n = 5,838 · 2023

9 results

Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in adults with overweight or obese: a subgroup meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Zhang R, Hou QC, Li BH, Deng L, Yang YM, Li TX, Yao XQ, Yang LL, Lin XL, Liao YQ, Wang L, Liu YP, Tan J, Wan ZW, Shuai P

Frontiers in endocrinology26 Jun 2023Cited by 18 (Europe PMC)

PMID37455913 (opens in a new tab)DOI10.3389/fendo.2023.1132004 (opens in a new tab)PepBankPUB-37455913
Publisher pagePubMedAsk about this study
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Summary

IntroductionSemaglutide shows significant performance on weight reduction in several clinical trials. However, it is not clear what kind of administration frequency or dosage will achieve better effects. This study aims to explore the different therapeutic effect of semaglutide on weight control under the diverse administration circumstances.MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults. Random effects or fixed effects model was conducted based on the heterogeneity among trials. Subgroup analysis was performed to identify the detailed effects under different intervention situations.Results and discussionOur study included 13 RCTs involving 5,838 participants with 3,794 ones in semaglutide group and 2,044 in placebo group. Semaglutide was associated with a significant reduction on weight loss related outcomes, including the absolute value of weight loss (WMD -8·97, 95% CI -10·73 to -7·21), percentage of weight loss (WMD -10·00, 95% CI -11·99 to -8·00), body mass index (WMD-3·19, 95% CI -4·02 to -2·37) and waist circumference (WMD -7·21,95% CI -8·87 to -5·56). Subgroup analyses illustrated participants with high weekly dosage, long-term treatment duration and severe baseline BMI (Class II obesity) had a more remarkably decreasing on the main outcomes of weight loss (P for interaction<0·05). Total adverse reactions occurred more frequently in the daily administration group than that in the weekly group (P for interaction =0·01). During the treatment, the incidence rate of hypoglycemia was higher in the group without lifestyle intervention compared with that with lifestyle intervention (P for interaction =0·04). Interpretation Subcutaneous semaglutide had significant benefits on weight loss with reasonable safety in overweight or obese adults. Moreover, additional benefits on cardiometabolic profiles were also seen. We recommended semaglutide treatment to be coupled with lifestyle interventions, and target dose of 2·0 mg or more subcutaneously once weekly. Clinicians can choose suitable treatment schemes based on diverse individual situations.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=337099, identifier PROSPERO (CRD42022337099).
CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study9

9 results from studies that gave the peptide. 9 results from people.

  1. 01HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In adults with overweight or obesity, subcutaneous semaglutide significantly reduced absolute body weight versus placebo in a meta-analysis.

    In plain wordsIn pooled trials of adults with overweight or obesity, injected semaglutide led to more weight loss than placebo.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    DecreaseAbsolute weight loss
    Study

    n = 5,838

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Body weight · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated · subcutaneousAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    absolute value of weight loss (WMD -8·97, 95% CI -10·73 to -7·21)
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.
  2. 02HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In adults with overweight or obesity, subcutaneous semaglutide significantly reduced percentage body weight versus placebo in a meta-analysis.

    In plain wordsIn pooled trials of adults with overweight or obesity, injected semaglutide led to a larger percentage weight loss than placebo.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    DecreasePercentage weight loss
    Study

    n = 5,838

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Body weight · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated · subcutaneousAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    percentage of weight loss (WMD -10·00, 95% CI -11·99 to -8·00)
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.
  3. 03HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In adults with overweight or obesity, subcutaneous semaglutide significantly reduced body mass index versus placebo in a meta-analysis.

    In plain wordsIn pooled trials of adults with overweight or obesity, injected semaglutide lowered body mass index more than placebo.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    DecreaseBody mass index
    Study

    n = 5,838

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Body weight · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated · subcutaneousAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    body mass index (WMD-3·19, 95% CI -4·02 to -2·37)
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.
  4. 04HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In adults with overweight or obesity, subcutaneous semaglutide significantly reduced waist circumference versus placebo in a meta-analysis.

    In plain wordsIn pooled trials of adults with overweight or obesity, injected semaglutide reduced waist size more than placebo.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    DecreaseWaist circumference
    Study

    n = 5,838

    Comparator
    Placebo
    Outcome group
    Body weight · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated · subcutaneousAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    waist circumference (WMD -7·21,95% CI -8·87 to -5·56).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.
  5. 05HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In subgroup analyses of adults with overweight or obesity, a high weekly semaglutide dosage gave a larger reduction in weight outcomes than lower weekly dosages (P for interaction<0.05).

    In plain wordsIn pooled subgroup analyses of adults with overweight or obesity, higher weekly semaglutide doses were linked to larger weight reductions.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    DecreaseWeight loss by weekly dose
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Comparator
    Lower weekly dosage subgroups
    Outcome group
    Body weight · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    high weekly dosage · subcutaneousAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Subgroup analyses illustrated participants with high weekly dosage, long-term treatment duration and severe baseline BMI (Class II obesity) had a more remarkably decreasing on the main outcomes of weight loss (P for interaction<0·05).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.
  6. 06HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In subgroup analyses of adults with overweight or obesity, long-term semaglutide treatment gave a larger reduction in weight outcomes than shorter treatment (P for interaction<0.05).

    In plain wordsIn pooled subgroup analyses of adults with overweight or obesity, longer semaglutide treatment was linked to larger weight reductions.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    DecreaseWeight loss by treatment duration
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Comparator
    Shorter treatment duration subgroups
    Outcome group
    Body weight · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated · subcutaneous · long-termAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Subgroup analyses illustrated participants with high weekly dosage, long-term treatment duration and severe baseline BMI (Class II obesity) had a more remarkably decreasing on the main outcomes of weight loss (P for interaction<0·05).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.
  7. 07HumanSystematic reviewEfficacy outcome

    In subgroup analyses of adults with overweight or obesity, semaglutide gave a larger reduction in weight outcomes in those with severe baseline BMI (Class II obesity) than in those with lower baseline BMI (P for interaction<0.05).

    In plain wordsIn pooled subgroup analyses of adults with overweight or obesity, people with Class II obesity at the start lost more weight with semaglutide.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    DecreaseWeight loss by baseline BMI
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Comparator
    Lower baseline BMI subgroups
    Outcome group
    Body weight · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated · subcutaneousAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Subgroup analyses illustrated participants with high weekly dosage, long-term treatment duration and severe baseline BMI (Class II obesity) had a more remarkably decreasing on the main outcomes of weight loss (P for interaction<0·05).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.
  8. 08HumanSystematic reviewSafety outcome

    In adults with overweight or obesity, total adverse reactions occurred more often with daily semaglutide administration than with weekly administration.

    In plain wordsIn pooled trials of adults with overweight or obesity, side effects were more common with daily semaglutide than with weekly semaglutide.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    IncreaseTotal adverse reactions, daily vs weekly administration
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Comparator
    Weekly administration
    Outcome group
    Adverse events · Whole body
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated · subcutaneousAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    Total adverse reactions occurred more frequently in the daily administration group than that in the weekly group (P for interaction =0·01).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.
  9. 09HumanSystematic reviewSafety outcome

    In adults with overweight or obesity, hypoglycemia occurred more often with semaglutide without lifestyle intervention than with lifestyle intervention.

    In plain wordsIn pooled trials of adults with overweight or obesity, low blood sugar was more common with semaglutide when no lifestyle intervention was used.

    Peptide
    Semaglutide
    Outcome
    IncreaseHypoglycemia, without vs with lifestyle intervention
    Study

    n: not reported in source

    Comparator
    With lifestyle intervention
    Outcome group
    Adverse events · Metabolic and weight
    Studied dose
    Dose not stated · subcutaneousAs given in this study (human).

    Source sentences

    Summary
    During the treatment, the incidence rate of hypoglycemia was higher in the group without lifestyle intervention compared with that with lifestyle intervention (P for interaction =0·04).
    1 context sentence
    Summary · context
    The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and the Clinical Trials.gov were searched from inception until 6 June, 2022 to include randomized controlled trials evaluating the Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in overweight or obese adults.

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

  1. Version 2Current

    9 Oct 2026, 18:17 UTC

    Study results updated

  2. Version 1

    9 Oct 2026, 03:06 UTC

    First added · source update from Europe PMC

Subjects

Terms as the source lists them.

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