13.9% Average Loss With Semaglutide in Obesity and Prediabetes
STEP 10 tested once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg in adults who had both obesity and prediabetes. It reported a 52-week average weight and laboratory-glycaemia result under a defined eligibility, dose-escalation, counselling, and follow-up protocol—not proof of long-term diabetes prevention or a personal outcome forecast.
At week 52, mean body-weight change was −13.9% with semaglutide and −2.7% with placebo.
Normoglycaemia at week 52 occurred in 81% of semaglutide participants and 14% of placebo participants under the trial definitions. Serious adverse events occurred in 9% of each group; treatment discontinuation because of adverse events occurred in 6% with semaglutide and 1% with placebo. The paper reported no new safety signals.
Turn the study result into a better program comparison
If this result prompts you to explore GLP-1 care, compare the practical details that the study did not test: the plans available, clinician access, brand-name versus compounded product status, public price terms, and enrollment conditions. These reviewed brands have category-matched GLP-1 offers; none participated in or is endorsed by this study.
From $49 – $129/mo · Editorial score 4.7/5
Featured value terms: semaglutide $49/mo or tirzepatide $89/mo with 12-month prepayment; $99/$129 month to month.
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Study details
- Population
- 207 adults with obesity (BMI of at least 30) and prediabetes defined by the trial's HbA1c or fasting-glucose criteria
- Follow-up
- 52-week treatment period; 80 weeks including the off-treatment follow-up
- Treatment comparison
- Once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg (138 participants) compared with placebo (69 participants), with diet and physical-activity counselling
- Study design
- Phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
A study result is not a personal treatment plan
Prediabetes was a study-entry characteristic, not a stand-alone prescription decision. The U.S. label context, insurance coverage, medication availability, dose tolerance, and follow-up needs must be checked with a licensed clinician and current prescribing information. This trial did not compare online providers or determine what a particular provider can prescribe.
Compare semaglutide and tirzepatide programsWhat this result does not show
- The trial randomized 207 people and included 30 sites in five countries; its population was predominantly White and female, which limits generalizability.
- The primary outcomes were measured at 52 weeks. The subsequent off-treatment follow-up does not establish years-long weight maintenance, sustained glycaemic status, or prevention of type 2 diabetes.
- The normoglycaemia outcome was a laboratory-defined status at one timepoint, not an incident-diabetes or other patient-important clinical outcome.
- The findings apply to adults with obesity and prediabetes under the trial's entry criteria, not directly to people with diabetes, lower BMI, or no prediabetes.
- The study was funded by Novo Nordisk; the peer-reviewed paper and disclosure materials 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 The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology