TOPLINE:
Patients with both type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity, who have a lower diabetes severity, as characterized by the individualized metabolic surgery (IMS) scoring system, achieve better weight loss outcomes with semaglutide.
METHODOLOGY:
- Prior studies indicate that semaglutide leads to inferior weight loss outcomes in patients with obesity who have T2D vs those without T2D; however, no study has assessed semaglutide’s weight loss effects as a function of T2D severity.
- The IMS score, which includes four parameters (A1c, < 7%; insulin use; number of T2D medications; and T2D duration), is a validated tool that can categorize T2D severity as mild (0-24.9 points), moderate (25-94.9 points), or severe (95-180 points).
- This retrospective cohort study of patients with obesity and T2D taking ≥ 1 mg of semaglutide investigated weight loss outcomes over 12 months based on IMS scores at baseline as well as changes in glycemic parameters.
- The primary endpoint was weight loss outcomes based on four IMS score quartiles (quartile 1, 12-78 points; quartile 2, 79-107 points; quartile 3, 108-129 points; and quartile 4, 130-172 points) at 12 months after starting semaglutide.
TAKEAWAY:
- Investigators included 297 patients (42% women; mean age, 61.5 years).
- At 12 months, the weight loss outcomes decreased in a stepwise manner as the IMS score quartiles increased from 1 to 4 (total body weight loss %; quartile 1, 8.8; quartile 2, 6.9; quartile 3, 5.7; and quartile 4, 5.0).
- Similarly, patients in the mild to moderate IMS category achieved significantly superior weight loss outcomes than those in the severe category (−8.3% vs −5.5%; P = .006) at 12 months.
- All four individual IMS parameters (ie, being on insulin, having a higher baseline level of A1c, having a longer duration of T2D, and using a greater number of diabetes medications) were independently associated with significantly inferior weight loss outcomes.
- Glycemic parameters, such as fasting blood glucose and A1c levels, did not improve regardless of the IMS severity at baseline.
IN PRACTICE:
“Our findings could help clinicians set informed expectations for weight loss outcomes in patients with severe T2D taking semaglutide; however, it is likely that the cardiometabolic benefits associated with semaglutide treatment in this population far exceed the effect on weight loss,” the authors commented.
SOURCE:
Wissam Ghusn, MD, from the Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, led this study, which was published online in eClinicalMedicine.
LIMITATIONS:
Due to the retrospective nature of this study, the authors had limited ability to abstract data on all IMS parameters. The presence of predominantly White and male patients in this cohort limited the generalizability of this study’s findings to other external populations. The number of patients in the mild IMS category was extremely low.
DISCLOSURES:
This study did not receive any specific grants, but the involved research staff received payments from the Mayo Clinic. One of the authors declared serving as a consultant, having contracts, and holding equity in various companies.
