Reviewed by Peptide Treatments Medical Advisory Board (Medical Advisory Board)
Semaglutide: Evidence Summary
Evidence summary for Semaglutide across studied indications. Each indication is graded using our evidence tier system based on the quality and quantity of available clinical data.
Back to Semaglutide overview| Indication | Evidence Tier | Trial Count | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight loss | Tier A | 8 | STEP trials — robust Phase III RCT data, FDA-approved |
| Type 2 diabetes | Tier A | 12 | SUSTAIN trials — FDA-approved for T2D |
| Cardiovascular risk reduction | Tier A | 4 | SELECT trial — significant MACE reduction |
| NASH/liver fibrosis | Tier B | 3 | Phase II data showing liver fat reduction |
References (9)
- Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1) — Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, et al. . New England Journal of Medicine (2021) PMID: 33567185
- Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes (SELECT) — Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM, et al. . New England Journal of Medicine (2023) PMID: 37952131
- Effects of Semaglutide on Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (FLOW) — Perkovic V, Tuttle KR, Rossing P, et al. . New England Journal of Medicine (2024) PMID: 38785209
- Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes (SUSTAIN-6) — Marso SP, Bain SC, Consoli A, et al. . New England Journal of Medicine (2016) PMID: 27633186
- A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Subcutaneous Semaglutide in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis — Newsome PN, Buchholtz K, Cusi K, et al. . New England Journal of Medicine (2021) PMID: 33185364
- Phase 3 Trial of Semaglutide in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (ESSENCE) — Sanyal AJ, et al. . New England Journal of Medicine (2025) PMID: 40305708
- Effect of Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Daily Liraglutide on Body Weight in Adults with Overweight or Obesity — Rubino DM, Greenway FL, Khalid U, et al. . JAMA (2022) PMID: 35015037
- Associations of semaglutide with first-time diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in patients with type 2 diabetes — Wang W, et al. . Alzheimer's & Dementia (2024) DOI: 10.1002/alz.14313
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of pharmacological treatments for obesity in adults — Multiple authors . Nature Medicine (2025)