John Buse, MD, the Verne S. Caviness Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Director of the UNC Diabetes Care Center, co-authored STEP UP T2D an international trial. STEP UP T2D found that a higher maintenance dose of semaglutide (7.2 mg once weekly) leads to significantly greater weight loss and improved blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes and obesity, compared with the currently approved 2.4 mg dose or a placebo.
STEP UP T2D enrolled over 500 participants across eight countries. Participants were randomly assigned to receive semaglutide 7.2 mg, semaglutide 2.4 mg, or placebo, alongside lifestyle support, for 72 weeks.
Results showed that people taking the higher 7.2 mg dose lost an average of 13% of their body weight, compared with about 4% in the placebo group. More participants on the higher dose also achieved weight loss milestones such as; reducing body weight by up to 20%, reducing waist size, and lowering blood sugar.