TUESDAY, Oct. 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Oral semaglutide is associated with better glycemic control than placebo among type 2 diabetes patients with insufficient glycemic control, according to a study published online Oct. 17 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Melanie Davies, M.D., from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, and colleagues randomized 632 patients with insufficient glycemic control using diet and exercise alone or a stable dose of metformin to semaglutide or placebo; 583 patients completed the phase 2 trial.
The researchers found that there were decreases in the mean change in HbA1c level from baseline to week 26 with oral semaglutide (dosage-dependent range, −0.7 to −1.9 percent), subcutaneous semaglutide (−1.9 percent), and placebo (−0.3 percent); oral semaglutide reductions were significant compared with placebo.
"Among patients with type 2 diabetes, oral semaglutide resulted in better glycemic control than placebo over 26 weeks," the authors conclude. "These findings support phase 3 studies to assess longer-term and clinical outcomes, as well as safety."
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, including Novo Nordisk, which partially funded the study.
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