Evaluating the Effect of the STEP@STAH Semaglutide Protocol on the Physical Health Measures of Atypical Antipsychotic-Treated Patients

Sponsor
St Andrew's Healthcare
Study ID
NCT06754163
Phase
PHASE4
Status
Active Not Recruiting

Conditions

  • Obesity and Obesity-related Medical Conditions
  • Psychiatric Disorders

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Semaglutide in combination with a healthy lifestyle intervention (diet and exercise) — DRUG
    Wegovy (semaglutide) will be provided as an induction dose of 0.25 mg, titrated up every 4 weeks to 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, will be given, with a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg or to the maximum tolerated dose. To reduce the likelihood of gastrointestinal symptoms, the dose should be escalated over a 16-week period to a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg once weekly. The semaglutide injection will be administered once weekly on the same day of the week throughout the study period. Injections will be administered in the thigh, abdomen or upper arm at any time of the day. As part of the multi-disciplinary approach taken in the STEP trials of Wegovy, patients willl be encouraged to * Increase their physical activity * Reduce their daily calorie intake * Record their physical activity and dietary intake on their Food/Activity/Sleep (FAS) Diary Sheets A secondary goal is to achieve sustained improvements in participants' activity levels and awareness of a healthy diet.

Study Details

A significant number of patients who are prescribed anti-psychotic medication such as clozapine are considered as clinically obese (BMI \>35.0). While this may be associated with the appetite promoting properties of the drug, other factors including apathy and lack of physical activity and exercise can exacerbate the weight gain. For those patients who are in a secure care setting and who have restrictions on movement, this provides a particular challenge. Therefore, a pharmacological option to assist in promoting weight loss would be an attractive option for patients who have reached levels of obesity and for whom diet and exercise alone may not be sufficient. The GLP-1 agonist class of drugs, including semaglutide (Wegovy®), have been approved for the treatment of patients as an adjunct to diet and exercise and for weight loss in adults who have a BMI of 30 kg/m² or greater (obese) or weight-related health problems. The aim of this study is to determine whether long-term treatment with Semaglutide (Wegovy®), in combination with dietary advice, exercise and psychological support, will decrease the weight gain associated with anti-psychotic treatment. Patients will be chosen for the trial according to NICE guidelines for referral to a weight management plan. In addition to the weekly Semaglutide (Wegovy®) injection, they will have regular access to dietary and exercise support as part of an overall healthy lifestyle plan which will form part of their overall care plan. They will also be provided with psychological support as a previous trial demonstrated that behavioural support was important, especially at the early stages of such therapy. The patients' progress will be monitored (weight, activity, diet) throughout the duration of the trial. The results will identify those patients who are most likely to benefit from this therapy and can be used to generate treatment guidelines."

Key Dates

Start date
Jan 1, 2025
Status verified
Apr 2026
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2027
Completion
Dec 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
20 participants (estimated)
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Evaluating the Effect of the STEP Protocol on Physical Health Measures
    The primary aim of the study is to assess the impact of treatment with semaglutide, in combination with a healthy lifestyle (including diet and exercise) on the physical health measures of patients in St Andrew's who have atypical antipsychotic induced weight gain. There is significant evidence that atypical antipsychotic drugs (olanzapine and clozapine) can cause patients to put on weight, partly by increasing their appetite. A significant number of people on this class of drugs are considered as overweight or obese. However, no studies have been carried out to determine whether weight loss-associated drugs such as semaglutide, in association with a healthy lifestyle, may be able to overcome this problem. Although semaglutide has been shown to be effective in the general population, this may be more complex in this group of people as it may interact with the anti-psychotic drugs which may prevent it from acting effectively.

Primary Outcome Measure

Weight [ Time Frame: 36 months ]

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