A multicenter, randomized, phase 3b trial, done in collaboration with a UNC School of Medicine researcher, found that once-daily oral semaglutide taken at higher doses of 25mg and 50mg improved regulation of blood sugar levels and weight loss compared to the standard 14 mg dose.
Diabetes is a progressive disease that affects one’s ability to control blood sugar levels. For many patients, the condition becomes more severe over time and blood sugar levels grow more difficult to manage. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, such as semaglutide, have granted patients more control in lowering of blood sugar.
John Buse, MD, PhD, the Verne S. Caviness Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and an international team of researchers have presented new findings about new higher-dose formulations of oral semaglutide. Their study, which was published in The Lancet, found that once-daily oral semaglutide taken at 25 milligrams (mg) and 50 mg did a better job in lowering blood sugar levels and promoting weight loss than the lowest dose of 14 mg.
“Low doses of GLP-1 receptor agonists are really powerful for reducing A1C, or the average glucose in the blood,” said Buse, who is also co-director of the NC Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute. “Whereas, the higher doses that are really good for weight reduction. On average, patients lost eight kilograms (17.5 lbs) at 50 milligrams, which is nearly twice as much weight loss that we saw with the lowest dose.”