Once-Weekly Semaglutide 7.2 mg Beats Placebo for Obesity

THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- In adults with obesity and those with type 2 diabetes and obesity, once-weekly semaglutide 7.2 mg is superior to placebo for body weight reduction, according to two studies published online Sept. 14 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.Sean Wharton, M.D., from the University of Toronto, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of 7.2 mg semaglutide in people with obesity without diabetes. Participants were randomly assigned to receive once weekly semaglutide 7.2 mg, 2.4 mg, or placebo (1,005, 201, and 201, respectively). The researchers found that the mean change in body weight was greater with semaglutide 7.2 mg versus semaglutide 2.4 mg or placebo (estimated treatment difference [ETD], −3.1 and −14.8 percent, respectively). Participants in the 7.2-mg semaglutide group were more likely to reach body weight reductions of ≥5, ≥10, ≥15, ≥20, or ≥25 percent versus placebo (odds ratios, 12.1, 14.5, 20.3, 27.3, and 127.4, respectively).Ildiko Lingvay, M.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of a 7.2-mg maintenance dose of once-weekly semaglutide in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomly assigned to receive semaglutide 7.2 mg, 2.4 mg, or placebo for 72 weeks (307, 103, and 102, respectively). The researchers found that semaglutide 7.2 mg led to greater reductions in mean body weight compared with placebo (ETD, −9.3 percent) and with more participants reaching body weight reductions of ≥5, ≥10, ≥15, and ≥20 percent (odds ratios, 10.0, 11.3, 8.1, and 12.3, respectively)."The greater magnitudes of body weight reduction seen in this trial, as well as the improvements in cardiovascular risk factors and glucose control, can have beneficial effects on health goals in clinical practice," Wharton and colleagues write.Several authors from both studies disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry, including Novo Nordisk, which funded the studies.Abstract/Full Text -- Wharton (subscription or payment may be required)Abstract/Full Text -- Lingvay (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Once-Weekly Semaglutide 7.2 mg Beats Placebo for Obesity

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