Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34570916›Full record

Trial reportAlimentary pharmacology & therapeutics2021

Randomised clinical trial: semaglutide versus placebo reduced liver steatosis but not liver stiffness in subjects with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Anne Flint, Grit Andersen, Paul Hockings, Lars Johansson, Anni Morsing, Mads Sundby Palle, Thomas Vogl, Rohit Loomba, Leona Plum-Mörschel

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03357380 (A Trial Investigating the Effect of Subcutaneous Semaglutide on Liver Fibrosis Assessed by Magnetic Resonance Elastography in Subjects With Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease), which is not on this map. Cited by 114 papers, 19 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
114citing papers in PubMed, 19 pooled it
19.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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.

NCT03357380 phase1completednot on this map

A Trial Investigating the Effect of Subcutaneous Semaglutide on Liver Fibrosis Assessed by Magnetic Resonance Elastography in Subjects With Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

TypeinterventionalSponsorNovo Nordisk A/SRan2017 to 2020Enrolled67ConditionsHepatobiliary Disorders, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseArmsSemaglutide, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

114 citing papers in PubMed, 19 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 200 citations in OpenAlex.

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  2. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Semaglutide Effects on Adipose Tissue and Emerging Effects on Brain and Cognition.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
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  10. Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Improve MASH and Liver Fibrosis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2025
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54 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.

Anne FlintNovo Nordisk A/S, Søborg, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-1604-8714
Grit AndersenProfil, Neuss, Germany.
Paul HockingsAntaros Medical, BioVenture Hub, Mölndal, Sweden.
Lars JohanssonAntaros Medical, BioVenture Hub, Mölndal, Sweden.
Anni MorsingNovo Nordisk A/S, Søborg, Denmark.
Mads Sundby PalleNovo Nordisk A/S, Søborg, Denmark.
Thomas VoglUniversity Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany.
Rohit LoombaUniversity of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4845-9991
Leona Plum-MörschelProfil, Mainz, Germany.
Novo Nordisk (Denmark) · DKAntaros Medical (Sweden) · SEProfil Institute for Metabolic Research · DEGoethe University Frankfurt · DEUniversity of California San Diego · US

Funding

Yeast Genetics and Stress Response Genes-BiomedicalP42ES010337 · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO · 2000 to 2005
$19.5M
Pediatric Trials in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)U01DK061734 · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2002 to 2025
$1.9M
Ancillary Studies of NAFLD and NASH in HIV infected AdultsR01DK121378 · NIDDK · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI NAGA P CHALASANI, ROHIT LOOMBA · 2023 to 2023
$1.5M
San Diego Digestive Diseases Research CenterP30DK120515 · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2025 to 2025
$1.2M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001442NHLBI NIH HHS P01 HL147835NIAAA NIH HHS U01 AA029019NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK120515NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK106419NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK121378NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK124318NIDDK NIH HHS U01 DK061734NIEHS NIH HHS P42 ES010337
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGlucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists may be a treatment option in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

aimsTo investigate the effects of semaglutide on liver stiffness and liver fat in subjects with NAFLD using non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods.

methodsThis randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled subjects with liver stiffness 2.50-4.63 kPa by magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and liver steatosis ≥10% by MRI proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF). The primary endpoint was change from baseline to week 48 in liver stiffness assessed by MRE.

resultsSixty-seven subjects were randomised to once-daily subcutaneous semaglutide 0.4 mg (n = 34) or placebo (n = 33). Change from baseline in liver stiffness was not significantly different between semaglutide and placebo at week 48 (estimated treatment ratio 0.96 (95% CI 0.89, 1.03; P = 0.2798); significant differences in liver stiffness were not observed at weeks 24 or 72. Reductions in liver steatosis were significantly greater with semaglutide (estimated treatment ratios: 0.70 [0.59, 0.84], P = 0.0002; 0.47 [0.36, 0.60], P < 0.0001; and 0.50 [0.39, 0.66], P < 0.0001) and more subjects achieved a ≥ 30% reduction in liver fat content with semaglutide at weeks 24, 48 and 72, (all P < 0.001). Decreases in liver enzymes, body weight and HbA

conclusionsThe change in liver stiffness in subjects with NAFLD was not significantly different between semaglutide and placebo. However, semaglutide significantly reduced liver steatosis compared with placebo which, together with improvements in liver enzymes and metabolic parameters, suggests a positive impact on disease activity and metabolic profile. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03357380.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Elasticity Imaging TechniquesNon-alcoholic Fatty Liver DiseaseDouble-Blind MethodGlucagon-Like PeptidesHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingSemaglutideGlucagon-Like PeptidesSemaglutide

Identifiers

PMID34570916
PMCPMC9292692
OpenAlexW3202116011

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.