Scientific Reference

Semaglutide

Evidence profile: Human Phase 3 evidence

Semaglutide is a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It is acylated with a C18 fatty diacid through a γ-glutamyl spacer, which promotes albumin binding and extends its half-life to approximately seven days. The published literature describes GLP-1 receptor activation with downstream effects on insulin secretion, glucagon suppression and gastric emptying. Licensed medicines containing semaglutide exist and are prescribed by clinicians; the material supplied here is a research compound and is not one of them.

Published Research

  • SELECT

    Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes

    Lincoff AM et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 2023 · Clinical

    PMID 37952131 — View on PubMed
  • STEP 1

    Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity

    Wilding JPH et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 2021 · Clinical

    PMID 33567185 — View on PubMed
  • Oral Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in People With Type 2 Diabetes, According to SGLT2i Use: Prespecified Analyses of the SOUL Randomized Trial

    Marx N et al. · Circulation · 2025 · Clinical

    PMID 40156843 — View on PubMed
  • Semaglutide once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes in an east Asian population (STEP 6): a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, phase 3a trial

    Kadowaki T et al. · The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology · 2022 · Clinical

    PMID 35131037 — View on PubMed
  • Semaglutide 2·4 mg once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, and type 2 diabetes (STEP 2): a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

    Davies M et al. · Lancet (London, England) · 2021 · Clinical

    PMID 33667417 — View on PubMed
  • Oral Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

    Husain M et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 2019 · Clinical

    PMID 31185157 — View on PubMed