Evidence mapPaperPMID 29766634Full record

Trial reportDiabetes, obesity & metabolism2018

Semaglutide induces weight loss in subjects with type 2 diabetes regardless of baseline BMI or gastrointestinal adverse events in the SUSTAIN 1 to 5 trials.

Bo Ahrén, Stephen L Atkin, Guillaume Charpentier, Mark L Warren, John P H Wilding, Sune Birch, Anders Gaarsdal Holst, Lawrence A Leiter

5 registry-linked trialsOpen access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Diabetes, obesity & metabolism, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It reports registered trial NCT01885208. Cited by 77 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
77citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
6.8field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01885208 phase3completed

Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide Once-weekly Versus Exenatide ER 2.0 mg Once-weekly as add-on to 1-2 Oral Antidiabetic Drugs (OADs) in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes (SUSTAIN™ 3 - vs. QW GLP-1)

Ran2013Enrolled813Registered outcomes6Posted comparisons2ConditionsDiabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Armsexenatide, semaglutide
Open the trial in the graph
NCT01930188 phase3completed

Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide Once-weekly Versus Sitagliptin Once-daily as add-on to Metformin and/or TZD in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes (SUSTAIN™ 2 - vs. DPP-4 Inhibitor)

Ran2013Enrolled1,231Registered outcomes6Posted comparisons2ConditionsDiabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2ArmsPlacebo, semaglutide, Sitagliptin
Open the trial in the graph
NCT02054897 phase3completed

Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide Once-weekly Versus Placebo in Drug-naïve Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes

Ran2014Enrolled388Registered outcomes6Posted comparisons2ConditionsDiabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2ArmsPlacebo, semaglutide
Open the trial in the graph
NCT02128932 phase3completed

Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide Once Weekly Versus Insulin Glargine Once Daily as Add on to Metformin With or Without Sulphonylurea in Insulin-naïve Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes

Ran2014Enrolled1,089Registered outcomes8Posted comparisons2ConditionsDiabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2ArmsInsulin glargine, semaglutide
Open the trial in the graph
NCT02305381 phase3completed

Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide Once-weekly Versus Placebo as add-on to Basal Insulin Alone or Basal Insulin in Combination With Metformin in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes

Ran2014Enrolled397Registered outcomes8Posted comparisons2ConditionsDiabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2ArmsPlacebo, semaglutide
Open the trial in the graph
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

77 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 139 citations in OpenAlex.

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  18. Functional segregation of body-brain signals in the area postrema.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
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17 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 7 institutions in 7 countries.

Bo AhrénDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9804-5340
Stephen L AtkinWeill Cornell Medical College Qatar, Doha, Qatar.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5887-7257
Guillaume CharpentierDepartment of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Centre Hospitalier Régional Gilles de Corbeil, Évry, France.
Mark L WarrenEndocrinology and Metabolism, Physicians East, Greenville, North Carolina.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6693-9860
John P H WildingInstitute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Sune BirchNovo Nordisk A/S, Søborg, Denmark.
Anders Gaarsdal HolstNovo Nordisk A/S, Søborg, Denmark.
Lawrence A LeiterLi Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1040-6229
Novo Nordisk (Denmark) · DKCentre Hospitalier Sud Francilien · FRLund University · SEPhysicians East · USSt. Michael's Hospital · CAUniversity of Liverpool · GBWeill Cornell Medical College in Qatar · QA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsTo assess the effect of baseline body mass index (BMI) and the occurrence of nausea and/or vomiting on weight loss induced by semalgutide, a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide 1 analogue for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide demonstrated superior reductions in HbA1c and superior weight loss (by 2.3-6.3 kg) versus different comparators across the SUSTAIN 1 to 5 trials; the contributing factors to weight loss are not established. MATERIALS AND

methodsSubjects with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes (drug-naïve or on background treatment) were randomized to subcutaneous semaglutide 0.5 mg (excluding SUSTAIN 3), 1.0 mg (all trials), or comparator (placebo, sitagliptin, exenatide extended release or insulin glargine). Subjects were subdivided by baseline BMI and reporting (yes/no) of any nausea and/or vomiting. Change from baseline in body weight was assessed within each trial and subgroup. A mediation analysis separated weight loss into direct or indirect (mediated by nausea or vomiting) effects.

resultsClinically relevant weight-loss differences were observed across all BMI subgroups, with a trend towards higher absolute weight loss with higher baseline BMI. Overall, 15.2% to 24.0% and 21.5% to 27.2% of subjects experienced nausea or vomiting with semaglutide 0.5 and 1.0 mg, respectively, versus 6.0% to 14.1% with comparators. Only 0.07 to 0.5 kg of the treatment difference between semaglutide and comparators was mediated by nausea or vomiting (indirect effects).

conclusionsIn SUSTAIN 1 to 5, semaglutide-induced weight loss was consistently greater versus comparators, regardless of baseline BMI. The contribution of nausea or vomiting to this weight loss was minor.

Indexed as

Body Mass IndexAdultAgedDiabetes Mellitus, Type 2ExenatideFemaleGlucagon-Like PeptidesHumansHypoglycemic AgentsInsulin GlargineMaleMiddle AgedNauseaSemaglutideSitagliptin PhosphateTreatment OutcomeExenatideGlucagon-Like PeptidesHypoglycemic AgentsInsulin GlargineSemaglutideSitagliptin PhosphateBMIgastrointestinal adverse eventsGLP-1 analogueGLP-1 based therapynauseatype 2vomitingweight controlweight loss

Identifiers

PMID29766634
PMCPMC6099440
OpenAlexW2808271763

What Socratic holds

Texttitle and abstract
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.