7.9% Further Loss With Continued Semaglutide Over 48 Weeks
STEP 4 evaluated continued once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg after a 20-week lead-in. Its result is about the randomized continuation period and supports a more precise question than a generic before-and-after claim: what happened while treatment continued under the trial protocol?
From week 20 to week 68, continued semaglutide produced 7.9% further average weight loss; switching to placebo was associated with 6.9% average weight gain.
The difference between continued semaglutide and placebo switch from randomization to week 68 was −14.8 percentage points. All participants received lifestyle intervention; gastrointestinal events were reported more often among the continued-semaglutide group in the randomized period.
Turn the study result into a better program comparison
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Study details
- Population
- 803 adults with obesity or overweight plus a weight-related condition, without diabetes, who completed a 20-week semaglutide 2.4 mg lead-in
- Follow-up
- 68 weeks total; 48-week randomized period
- Treatment comparison
- After a 20-week once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg lead-in, participants continued semaglutide or switched to placebo for 48 additional weeks alongside lifestyle intervention
- Study design
- Phase 3a, double-blind, randomized withdrawal trial
A study result is not a personal treatment plan
This was a continuation trial in people who reached the 2.4 mg semaglutide dose during a 20-week lead-in. It does not establish an individual prescription decision, a provider’s current medication access, or a person’s coverage. A licensed clinician must assess those questions.
Compare GLP-1 programsWhat this result does not show
- All randomized participants completed a 20-week semaglutide lead-in and reached the 2.4 mg maintenance dose before the 48-week comparison phase.
- The 7.9% and 6.9% figures describe changes from week 20 to week 68, not outcomes from the first dose for every participant.
- The study does not compare telehealth providers, affordability, pharmacy access, or individual treatment outcomes.
- The study was funded by Novo Nordisk; the primary paper and disclosures are linked at the end of this article.
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Primary peer-reviewed source
Read the full paper, methodology, conflict-of-interest disclosures, and supplementary materials before drawing conclusions beyond this plain-English summary.
Read the study at JAMA