Trial results comparing semaglutide 2.4 mg to other anti-obesity medications for individuals with obesity were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-01-14. The study found that participants treated with semaglutide 2.4 mg achieved a mean body weight reduction of -13.6%, compared to -7.4% for those on other anti-obesity medications.
Background
The study, titled "A Research Study Comparing Wegovy to Other Weight Management Drugs in People Living With Obesity in America," was a post-approval pragmatic clinical study. Its purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of semaglutide in lowering body weight compared to other anti-obesity medications currently on the market, across diverse employee populations in the US.
Trial design
The study (NCT05579249) was a Phase 4 pragmatic clinical trial that enrolled 500 participants diagnosed with obesity. The trial compared semaglutide 2.4 mg against a group receiving "Other Anti-obesity Medications (AOMs)," which included orlistat, phentermine/topiramate, naltrexone/bupropion, and liraglutide.
Key results
The trial results demonstrated differences in weight reduction and quality of life outcomes between the semaglutide 2.4 mg group and the "Other Anti-obesity Medications (AOMs)" group.
- For "Percentage Change in Body Weight":
- Participants receiving semaglutide 2.4 mg achieved a mean body weight reduction of -13.6% (Standard Deviation: 8.7).
- Participants receiving "Other Anti-obesity Medications (AOMs)" achieved a mean body weight reduction of -7.4% (Standard Deviation: 7.3).
- Regarding the proportion of participants achieving specific weight loss thresholds:
- For "Number of Participants Who Achieved Greater Than or Equal to (≥) 10.0 Percent (%) Body Weight Reduction (Yes/no)": 132 participants in the semaglutide 2.4 mg group achieved this, compared to 61 in the "Other Anti-obesity Medications (AOMs)" group.
- For "Number of Participants Who Achieved Greater Than or Equal to (≥) 15.0% Body Weight Reduction (Yes/no)": 93 participants in the semaglutide 2.4 mg group achieved this, compared to 25 in the "Other Anti-obesity Medications (AOMs)" group.
- For "Change in Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite-Clinical Trials Version (IWQOL-Lite-CT) Physical Function Domain":
- The semaglutide 2.4 mg group showed a mean change of 25.6 (Standard Deviation: 21.2).
- The "Other Anti-obesity Medications (AOMs)" group showed a mean change of 22.6 (Standard Deviation: 24.4).
An analysis of Week 52 responses using a binary regression model indicated an Odds Ratio (OR) of 3.18 (95.0% CI: 2.12 to 4.78) for achieving greater than or equal to 10.0% body weight reduction with semaglutide 2.4 mg compared to other AOMs, with a p-value of 0.0001.
What this means
The results from this pragmatic clinical trial suggest that semaglutide 2.4 mg is more effective in achieving body weight reduction in individuals with obesity compared to other commonly used anti-obesity medications. The significantly greater mean percentage change in body weight and the higher proportion of participants reaching clinically meaningful weight loss thresholds (≥10% and ≥15%) with semaglutide indicate its strong efficacy in real-world settings. These findings provide valuable data for clinicians and patients considering treatment options for obesity.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for study NCT05579249, titled "A Research Study Comparing Wegovy to Other Weight Management Drugs in People Living With Obesity in America," were posted on 2026-01-14 on clinicaltrials.gov.