Up to 13.8% weight loss in people with obesity receiving semaglutide

Novo Nordisk on Friday announced the headline results from a 52-week double-blind Phase II clinical trial with once-daily subcutaneous semaglutide investigating safety and potential for inducing and maintaining weight loss in people with obesity.

In the trial, 957 people with obesity were randomized to treatment with doses of semaglutide between 0.05 to 0.4mg/day or placebo. Liraglutide 3.0mg/day was included for comparison. Approximately 100 people were included in each active treatment arm in combination with diet and exercise. All people in the trial were treated for 52 weeks followed by a 7-week follow-up period.

Liraglutide is the active ingredient of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes treatment Victoza and also its weight-loss formulation Saxenda. The company hopes semaglutide will reduce weight significantly more than the 5%-10% seen with Saxenda, an anti-obesity injection launched in 2015.