Semaglutide research: studies, doses and safety

• Weeks 1-4: The Wegovy injection schedule starts at 0.25 mg weekly, with nausea and other stomach symptoms common during dose increases.
• Weeks 5-8: The planned Wegovy dose rises to 0.5 mg weekly, with a four-week delay allowed if the increase is not tolerated.
• Weeks 9-16: The Wegovy schedule uses 1 mg weekly for four weeks, then 1.7 mg weekly for four weeks.
• Week 17 onward: The usual Wegovy maintenance target is 2.4 mg weekly, with the dose based on response and side effects.
• Week 68: Adults without diabetes in STEP 1 averaged 14.9% weight loss with 2.4 mg weekly versus 2.4% with placebo.

Wegovy is used weekly for long-term weight management; its main weight-loss trial lasted 68 weeks.

642 registered interventional records include ongoing and comparator trials. Pivotal studies support major uses; this count is not 642 completed efficacy trials.

Key studies

• SUSTAIN 1: monotherapy: See the arm results; benefits and harms depend on dose and population. (source)
• SUSTAIN 2: versus sitagliptin: See the arm results; benefits and harms depend on dose and population. (source)
• SUSTAIN 3: versus exenatide: See the arm results; benefits and harms depend on dose and population. (source)
• SUSTAIN 4: versus basal insulin: See the arm results; benefits and harms depend on dose and population. (source)
• SUSTAIN 5: added to insulin: See the arm results; benefits and harms depend on dose and population. (source)
• SUSTAIN 6: heart outcomes: Heart events were fewer; diabetic eye complications were more frequent. (source)