Nat Med

SELECT trial: New data shows semaglutide weight loss sustained up to four years

May 15, 2024

Semaglutide leads to clinically significant weight loss that's sustained for up to four years, according to data presented at yesterday’s European Congress on Obesity in Venice, Italy and published simultaneously in Nature Medicine.

These findings come from the longest-running trial of semaglutide use, Semaglutide Effects on Cardiovascular Outcomes in People with Overweight or Obesity (SELECT). Last summer, Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Wegovy, reported findings from that trial showing that semaglutide use resulted in a 20% reduction in major adverse CV events (MACE) in 17,604 non-diabetic overweight and obese adults with preexisting CV disease. Importantly, the reduction in MACE was sustained for up to five years compared with placebo.

Participants in the SELECT trial also lost an average of 10% of their total body weight over 65 weeks. According to this latest analysis, at four years, the percentage of weight loss was roughly sustained and stood at a mean reduction of 10.2%. Mean reductions were also observed in waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio vs. placebo (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons vs. placebo). Moreover, clinically meaningful weight loss occurred in both sexes and all races, body sizes and regions.

“These data, representing the longest clinical trial of the effects of semaglutide vs. placebo on weight, establish the safety and durability of semaglutide effects on weight loss and maintenance in a geographically and racially diverse population of adult men and women with overweight and obesity but not diabetes,” wrote the authors.

Sources:

Ryan DH, et al. (2024, May 13). Nat Med. Long-term weight loss effects of semaglutide in obesity without diabetes in the SELECT trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38740993/

Fick, M. (2024, May 14). Reuters. Wegovy users keep weight off for four years, Novo Nordisk study says. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/wegovy-weight-loss-sustained-four-years-trial-novo-nordisk-says-2024-05-13/