AIM: To analyse data from the All of Us Research Program to evaluate the real-world application and long-term effectiveness of semaglutide in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity patients in a large population.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified patients prescribed semaglutide and analysed differences in route of administration and the time on semaglutide. For individuals diagnosed with obesity, we measured changes in body mass index (BMI) and weight from baseline, while measured changes in HbA1c for those patients with type 2 diabetes. We also examined the occurrence of newly diagnosed common adverse events from taking semaglutide.
RESULTS: For 3739 semaglutide patients, those on injectable semaglutide (3364 patients) averaged 301.54 days on the medication, with 20.36% having no end date, while those on oral semaglutide (435 patients) averaged 172.48 days, with 24.60% having no end date. We found average decreases of 1.54 kg/min BMI, 4.65 kg in weight and 0.75% in HbA1c for semaglutide users. The decreases were larger in participants taking injectable formulation, probably because of higher starting values. Over time, improvements in these outcomes diminished, but the values remained significantly lower than baseline levels. Approximately only 1.0% of patients reported newly diagnosed common adverse events.
CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with clinical trial findings, this real-world data analysis showed that semaglutide was well tolerated and that, for a large population, it effectively reduced BMI, body weight and HbA1c, albeit to smaller magnitudes than observed in clinical trials. These findings provide valuable insights into real-world experience and the long-term effectiveness of semaglutide.