BRIEF—Novo Nordisk announces new semaglutide obesity data

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has announced new results from the STEP Phase IIIa clinical trial program.

The trial showed that treatment with once-weekly semaglutide 2.4mg led to significant improvements in physical functioning, such as climbing stairs and tying your shoes, and beneficial effects on weight-related and health-related quality of life scores compared to placebo.

Following the 68-week treatment period, a greater proportion of people in the semaglutide arm had clinically-meaningful improvements in physical functioning and weight-related quality of life scores had improved.

Sean Wharton of the Wharton Medical Clinic, Toronto, Canada, and an investigator of this study, said: “Weight management is much more than achieving weight loss. We should also aim to improve the impairments that accompany elevated weight such as decreased physical functioning.

“It is encouraging to see that the significant weight loss achieved in STEP 1 had such a positive impact on people’s wellbeing and their ability to perform daily physical activities, such as taking walks and going about their daily routines.”