: Oral semaglutide, a GLP1-receptor agonist (GLP1-RA), shows promise in efficacy and compliance, especially amid the global shortage of injectable GLP-1 RAs. Its short-term effectiveness remains unexplored.: This real-world observational study assessed the short-term effectiveness of oral semaglutide after three months of therapy.: Patients with type 2 diabetes from four Italian diabetes centers, who received an initial prescription of oral semaglutide, were reassessed after three months. Primary outcomes included glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body weight reduction; secondary outcomes involved changes in lipid parameters and cardiovascular risk.: Among 167 participants (mean age 66.5 years, mostly obese, baseline HbA1c 8.4% ± 1.5), 83.2% received a 7 mg dose. After three months, HbA1c significantly declined (8.4% to 7.1%, -1.3%,< 0.001), alongside body mass index (BMI) (30.9 kg/mto 29.6 kg/m,< 0.0001). The target HbA1c ≤ 7% was achieved by 54.5%, and 34.7% reached ≤6.5%. Patients losing >5% of their initial weight (30.5%) saw the largest HbA1c drop (-1.9%). Those with newly diagnosed diabetes or a duration < 5 years showed superior responses (= 0.001), while no significant differences were found based on the timing of drug administration. Oral semaglutide replaced or supplemented prior therapies, allowing discontinuation of dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i), sulfonylureas, glinides, and acarbose, and deprescription of thiazolidinediones. A significant reduction in cardiovascular risk was observed (= 0.04), together with a significant reduction in lipid parameters.: Oral semaglutide showed significant short-term efficacy, reducing HbA1c, body weight, and cardiovascular risk in three months, making it a valuable therapeutic option.
Authors
Palazzi, Sara; Sentinelli, Federica; Zugaro, Antonella; Morgante, Sara; Santarelli, Livia; Melanzi, Sandra; De Mutiis, Annamaria; Piersanti, Deamaria; Macerola, Barbara; Iezzi, Marco; Mercuri, Pietro; Ferranti, Alessandro; Tienforti, Daniele; Cavallo, Maria Gisella; Barbonetti, Arcangelo; Baroni, Marco Giorgio
Keywords
BMIGLP1-receptor agonistHbA1cduration of diabetestype 2 diabetesweight