Study Yields Positive Results for Type 2 Diabetes Injectable Prescription

A recent study has demonstrated that 78.7% of individuals with diabetes who were treated with semaglutide (Ozempic, Novo Nordisk) 1.0 mg achieved the American Diabetes Association (ADA) HbA_1Ctarget of <7%, compared with the placebo and SGLT-2i combination at 18.7%. The same applies for more stringent American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) HbA_1C target of £6.5%, since 56.1% of participants with the semaglutide saw results compared to 3.9% with the placebo.¹

The results of the SUSTAIN 9 Phase 3b trial, conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of semaglutide 1.0 mg when added to SGLT-2 inhibitor (SGLT-2i) therapy, have been published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.¹ According to the company website, the non-insulin drug is an injectable prescription medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes.²

In the trial, adults with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive either once-weekly semaglutide or placebo in addition to an SGLt-2i, either on its own or in combination with metformin or sulfonylurea.

The semaglutide injection 1.0 mg demonstrated a statistically significant and superior reduction in HbA_1c of 1.5% vs. 0.1% with placebo, each in combination with SGT2-I treatment, from an overall mean baseline of 8.0%. Additional findings of a secondary endpoint showed that semaglutide 1.0 mg had a statistically significant and superior decrease in body weight of 4.7 kg vs. 0.9 kg with placebo, from an overall mean baseline of 91.7 kg.¹

The safety profile of semaglutide 1.0 mg in combination with SGLT-2i therapy was consistent with the overall SUSTAIN clinical trial program. The most common adverse event (AE) was nausea. Gastrointestinal AEs were reported in 37.3% and 13.2% of people treated with Ozempic^® 1.0 mg and placebo, respectively. Serious AEs occurred in 4.7% and 4.0% of people, respectively. Severe or blood glucose-confirmed hypoglycaemic events were reported in 4 people treated with Ozempic^® 1.0 mg (2.7%) vs 0 people with placebo.¹

References

• Novo Nordisk: Ozempic superior in lowering blood sugar and weight vs placebo, both in combination with SGLT-2 inhibitors [news release]. Novo nordisk website. Published March 4, 2019. https://www.novonordisk.com/media/news-details.2237167.html. Accessed March 4, 2019.
• Ozempic website. https://www.ozempic.com/. Accessed March 4, 2019.