peptidefix

Semaglutide

Also: Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus

Metabolic & weight
Legal status United KingdomApproved medicineUnited StatesApproved medicineAustraliaPrescription only
Research on peptidefix

27 papers: 19 human studies, 5 animal studies, 2 cell studies, 1 review or preprint.

Listed suppliers United Kingdom2United States2Australia1 Europe2
Checked 2026-11-03

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Summary

Semaglutide is a synthetic analogue of GLP-1, a hormone released by the gut after eating. Unlike most peptides on this site, it is an approved prescription medicine in all three launch countries, and its trial programme is among the largest in modern medicine.

What it targets

Semaglutide acts on GLP-1 receptors, which are involved in insulin release and appetite signalling. The STEP-1 trial tested once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. The SELECT trial then asked whether it reduces cardiovascular risk in people who are overweight or obese without diabetes: 17,604 patients aged 45 or over with existing cardiovascular disease were randomised to semaglutide or placebo, with a primary endpoint combining cardiovascular death, non-fatal heart attack and non-fatal stroke. Two further phase 3 trials tested it in combination with cagrilintide, in adults with obesity and in adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes, reporting mean body-weight reductions of about 20 and 14 percent respectively over 68 weeks against about 3 percent with placebo.

body weight in overweight and obesity (phase 3)cardiovascular events in people with cardiovascular disease and obesity (17,604 people)body weight and glycaemic control in combination with cagrilintide (two phase 3 trials)type 2 diabetes (approved indication)

Clinical Research

Hemodynamic effects of semaglutide in individuals with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity: a placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial
Borlaug BA, Jensen MD, Packer M, et al. (2026). Nature Medicine. human 81 adults with obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised trial (CAMEO-SEMA, NCT05371496), 52 weeks
The effect of subcutaneous semaglutide injection on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Ahmadi N, Zandi R, Norouzi M, et al. (2026). Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. meta-analysis systematic review and meta-analysis of 7 placebo-controlled randomised trials of subcutaneous semaglutide, about 20,000 participants (20,011 in the systolic analysis)
GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonism does not directly drive skeletal muscle atrophy or impair myogenesis in primary human myotubes
Ditchfield C, Macleod M, Price JMJ, Davis ET, Jones SW (2026). GeroScience. in-vitro primary human myotubes from older adults with obesity; laboratory study, no people treated
Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Death: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Cardioprotective Efficacy of Semaglutide
Marino G, Aquilani S, Di Fusco SA, et al. (2026). Critical Pathways in Cardiology. meta-analysis systematic review and meta-analysis of 7 randomised placebo-controlled trials, 38,412 adults with type 2 diabetes, overweight or obesity, or obesity-related HFpEF
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Versus Empagliflozin or Dapagliflozin in the MASLD-Heart Failure Phenotype: An Exploratory Propensity-Matched Cohort Study
Gautam N, Huynh TM, Truong HH, Duong N (2026). Balkan Medical Journal. human observational propensity-matched cohort, TriNetX US Collaborative Network, 8,550 matched pairs of adults with MASLD and heart failure; association, not a trial
Target Trial of Semaglutide Versus Dulaglutide or Liraglutide in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis
Le D, Forman E, Kraft WK, et al. (2026). Diabetes Care. human observational target-trial emulation, US Renal Data System and Medicare, effective n=3,200 adults with diabetes on haemodialysis (1,312 semaglutide; 2,601 dulaglutide or liraglutide before weighting)
Glycemic control and weight loss benefits of fixed-ratio combinations of basal insulins and GLP1 receptor agonists in type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Kamrul-Hasan ABM, Mondal S, Nagendra L, et al. (2026). Endocrine. meta-analysis network meta-analysis of 30 randomised trials, 17,862 adults with type 2 diabetes
Continued CagriSema treatment preserves weight loss by reducing energy intake and maintaining energy expenditure in rats
Petersen LM, Knop FK, le Roux CW, et al. (2026). Molecular Metabolism. animal male diet-induced obese rats; six weeks of treatment, with vehicle and calorie-restriction comparators
Semaglutide and Panic Attacks: Active-Comparator Disproportionality Analysis, Temporal Assessment of Notoriety Bias and Evidence Triangulation in Post-Marketing Pharmacovigilance
Melamed B, Parsi-Zahabi M, Omrani MA, et al. (2026). Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. human database study: FDA FAERS reports, with evidence triangulation across 12 studies; not an enrolled trial
Late-life semaglutide treatment slows ageing and extends lifespan in female mice
Feng Y, et al. (2026). Nature. animal mice, 20-month-old female C57BL/6, lifespan cohort plus a 3-month cohort, with a calorie-restriction comparison group
Weight loss with GLP-1 medicines does not result in a disproportionate loss of muscle mass or function in obese mice and humans
Langer HT, et al. (2026). Cell Reports Medicine. animal four studies in obese mice plus a small proof-of-concept human trial (NCT05606471); human n to confirm from the paper
Semaglutide for Treating Paediatric Craniopharyngioma-Related Obesity: A Multicentre Case Series
Dornberger et al. (2026). Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. human humans, n=20, adolescents (mean age 14.0), multicentre retrospective case series
GLP-1R agonist semaglutide protects human forebrain organoids from cholesterol-induced neurotoxicity
Yu et al. (2026). Alzheimer's & Dementia. in-vitro human iPSC-derived forebrain organoids exposed to cholesterol overload
Combined Semaglutide and Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor Use and Metabolic Outcomes in Chinese Adults With Diabetes: Post Hoc Analysis
Wang S, et al. (2026). Diabetes Therapy. human humans, n=11,361, post hoc analysis of the SCHOLAR real-world study, 6 months
Potential bone marrow-driven reduction of circulating inflammatory monocytes by semaglutide in Type 2 diabetes
Teunis et al. (2026). European Heart Journal. human humans, n=16, single-arm before-and-after study, 6 months, no control group
Chronic semaglutide treatment attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking and cocaine-induced stereotypy in male and female rats
Turner CA, Morales Pagán N, Pereira D, et al. (2026). bioRxiv (preprint). preprint male and female rats (n not captured), preprint
Semaglutide, independent of weight loss, attenuates cardiac and hepatic remodelling in experimental heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Elbatreek MH, et al. (2026). European Heart Journal. animal ZSF1 obese rats and Göttingen minipigs with induced heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Efficacy and Safety of Chemically Synthesized Semaglutide Injection (HD1916) for the Treatment of Obesity: A Multicenter, Randomized, Phase III Trial
Gao L, Ma Y, Zhang Q, et al. (2026). Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. human 462 adults aged 18-75 with obesity and without diabetes (231 per group); multicentre, randomised, open-label, active-controlled phase III equivalence trial
Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes
Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM, et al. (2023). New England Journal of Medicine. human 17,604 patients aged 45 or over with existing cardiovascular disease and a BMI of 27 or more, without diabetes; multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity
Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, et al. (STEP 1 Study Group) (2021). New England Journal of Medicine. human adults with overweight or obesity, phase III, n=1961
Coadministered Cagrilintide and Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity
Garvey WT, Blüher M, Osorto Contreras CK, et al. (REDEFINE 1 Study Group) (2025). New England Journal of Medicine. human adults with overweight or obesity, without diabetes, phase 3a, n=3417
Cagrilintide–Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
Davies MJ, Bajaj HS, Broholm C, et al. (REDEFINE 2 Study Group) (2025). New England Journal of Medicine. human adults with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes, phase 3a, n=1206
Semaglutide and cardiovascular risk reduction: a mediation analysis of the SELECT trial
Colhoun HM, Lincoff AM, Ryan D, et al. (2026). European Heart Journal. human humans, n=17,604, secondary (mediation) analysis of the SELECT randomised trial
SGLT2 inhibitors, semaglutide, and finerenone in diabetic kidney disease: a Bayesian network meta-analysis
He Z, Wang X, Zhang L, et al. (2026). Frontiers in Pharmacology. meta-analysis n=20,521 across six phase 3 randomised-trial datasets (CREDENCE, DAPA-CKD and EMPA-KIDNEY type 2 diabetes subgroups, FIDELIO-DKD, FIGARO-DKD, FLOW)
Comparative Effectiveness of Once-Weekly Semaglutide Versus Sulfonylureas, DPP4 Inhibitors, and Thiazolidinediones in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease
Amamoo J, Wang Y, Liu H, et al. (2026). Advances in Therapy. human adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, retrospective cohort from US insurance claims (2016 to 2023), analysed in two samples
Oral Semaglutide in Routine Clinical Practice: 24-Month Real-World Effectiveness, Persistence and Safety in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes
Baldassarre MPA, Di Dalmazi G, Carrieri F, et al. (2026). Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. human humans, n=232, retrospective single-clinic cohort (Italy), adults with type 2 diabetes
Effects of Liraglutide and Semaglutide on Cardiometabolic Dysregulation and Oxidative Stress in an Experimental Model of Metabolic Syndrome
Ravić MP, Srejović IM, Andjić MM, et al. (2026). Medical Sciences. animal male Wistar rats with diet- and streptozotocin-induced metabolic syndrome (n not in abstract)

All research on Semaglutide →