REAL life study of subcutaneous SEMaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes in SPain: Ambispective, multicenter clinical study. Results in the GLP1-experienced cohort

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of switching to once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who were previously treated with other glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in a real-world setting in Spain.

Methods: The REAL Life study of SEMaglutide in Patients with Type 2 diabetes in Spain (REALSEM-SP) was conducted in four endocrinology departments in Madrid, Spain. Adult patients with T2DM who were prescribed once-weekly (OW) subcutaneous semaglutide and had been previously treated with other GLP-1 RAs were included. Baseline characteristics, including demographic, anthropometric, and laboratory variables, were recorded at baseline and at 6 ± 3 and 12 ± 3 months of follow-up. The primary outcome was the change in HbA_1c at 12 ± 3 months of follow-up, with secondary outcomes including changes in weight, BMI, and other glycemic parameters.

Results: A total of 267 patients were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 61.6 years and a mean T2DM duration of 11.3 years. The majority of patients had grade 1 or 2 obesity at baseline. Switching to OW-semaglutide was associated with a significant reduction in HbA_1c from baseline to 13 months (-0.35 % ± 0.81). Patients who reached the 1.0 mg OW-dose showed a significant reduction in HbA_1c compared to those on the ≤0.5 mg OW-dose. Significant reductions in weight, BMI, and fasting plasma glucose were also observed. Adverse events were mostly gastrointestinal and led to treatment withdrawal in few cases.

Conclusion: Switching to OW-subcutaneous semaglutide in patients with T2DM previously treated with other GLP-1 RAs was associated to improvements in glycemic control and weight management in a real-world setting in Spain. These findings support the use of OW-semaglutide as an effective option for patients with T2DM who require additional glycemic control and weight management.

Keywords: GLP1 experienced; Obesity; Semaglutide; Switch; Type 2 diabetes mellitus.