The Study
Dose–response effects on HbA1c and bodyweight reduction of survodutide, a dual glucagon/GLP-1 receptor agonist, compared with placebo and open-label semaglutide in people with type 2 diabetes: a randomised clinical trial
This study is like a gold-standard test where one group gets the new medicine and another gets a fake pill, and nobody knows who got what. So we can be pretty sure that the medicine actually causes the changes in blood sugar and weight. But the study only lasted 16 weeks, so we don't know about longer effects.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested a new medicine called survodutide in people with type 2 diabetes. This medicine works by activating two different hormone receptors in the body to control blood sugar and reduce appetite.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 587 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These are large effects.
- 2Losing 8.7% body weight in 16 weeks is significant and could help reduce the risk of diabetes complications.
- 3However, many people experienced stomach problems like nausea, and some had to stop the medicine, especially during the first few weeks of rapid dose increase.
- 4After 16 weeks, people taking the highest dose of survodutide lost about 8.7% of their body weight (around 8 kg) and their HbA1c (a measure of blood sugar control) dropped by about 1.7%.
- 5A lower dose of survodutide worked just as well as the popular drug semaglutide for blood sugar control.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Diabetologia
Year
2023
Authors
Matthias Blüher, Julio Rosenstock, Josef Hoefler, Raymond Manuel, A. M. Hennige
Related Content
Claims (5)
In adults with type 2 diabetes who take metformin, the drug survodutide lowers blood sugar levels (HbA1c) more as the dose increases. The highest dose tested, 1.8 mg once weekly, reduced HbA1c by about 1.7% over 16 weeks. At a lower dose of 0.9 mg, survodutide reduces HbA1c by about 1.46%, which is similar to the reduction from a standard dose of another diabetes drug, semaglutide (1.0 mg).
Survodutide, a medication for type 2 diabetes, causes weight loss that increases with higher doses. At the highest dose tested (3.6 mg per week), patients lost an average of 8.7% of their body weight (8.4 kg) over 16 weeks. Doses of 1.8 mg per week or more lead to greater weight loss than the commonly used diabetes drug semaglutide at 1.0 mg per week.
In a clinical trial of survodutide, over half of participants experienced gastrointestinal side effects. These side effects were more common at higher doses and caused about one in six participants to stop treatment, mostly within the first six weeks when the dose was increased quickly.
Survodutide at 0.9 mg weekly lowers HbA1c by about 1.46% after 16 weeks in adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin, which is nearly identical to the 1.47% reduction from semaglutide at 1.0 mg weekly.
Survodutide is a medication that leads to more weight loss than semaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes. People taking 1.8 mg or more of survodutide weekly lost 6.6% to 8.7% of their body weight over 16 weeks, while those on semaglutide 1.0 mg weekly lost 5.3%.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.