Semaglutide, optimal therapy for type 2 diabetes with few side effects: Study

Salient findings of the study include:

• Twenty-six included RCTs studied different doses of subcutaneous (SC) and oral semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, sitagliptin, canagliflozin, and empagliflozin compared with placebo.
• Tirzepatide showed the highest efficacy, however, it was comparable to semaglutide. SC semaglutide 1 mg once-weekly showed a higher reduction in HbA_1c (MD = −1.72), and fasting blood glucose (MD = −1.93) versus placebo at 30 weeks and other time points.
• Adverse events (ADs) were comparable to placebo with oral and SC semaglutide, oral sitagliptin, SC liraglutide, and oral empagliflozin at most time points.
• SC semaglutide 0.8 mg and tirzepatide 10 mg groups had the highest gastrointestinal adverse events.

Based on the results, the researchers concluded, "semaglutide has a high probability of being the optimal therapy for type 2 diabetes."

Reference:

Zaazouee, Mohamed Sayed, et al. "Semaglutide for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Safety and Efficacy Outcomes." Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome, vol. 16, no. 6, 2022, p. 102511.