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Research Summary
Analyzed using Evidence Intelligence™

Semaglutide improves glycemic control and reduces weight in type 2 diabetes

Powered by the Dediabetes Evidence Intelligence™ framework

Last updated September 12, 2026

Key finding

Mean HbA1c reduction of 1.4% (15.8 mmol/mol) with semaglutide 0.5 mg.

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of semaglutide as an add-on to basal insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes, finding significant reductions in HbA1c and body weight.

Quick read

Study at a glance

The essential study design details in one scan.

EvidenceScore™

Moderate

Study type

RCTs

Follow-up

Medium-Term (3–12 mo)

Risk of bias

Some Concerns

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Plain-language summary

What this paper says

A plain-language read of the study’s main message and where it applies.

Study focus

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of semaglutide as an add-on to basal insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes, finding significant reductions in HbA1c and body weight.

Clinical relevance

These findings are clinically significant as they suggest that semaglutide can be an effective treatment option for managing blood sugar and weight in patients with type 2 diabetes who are already on insulin therapy. However, the increased risk of severe hypoglycemia with higher doses necessitates careful monitoring and patient education.

Keep in mind

The study did not include a diverse population, limiting generalizability. The sample size for severe hypoglycemic episodes was relatively small. Long-term effects and safety of semaglutide were not assessed.

Published in

Journal Reference

Publication details and source links for this paper.

Helena WR, Ildiko L, John R, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide as Add-On to Basal Insulin in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2018;103(6):2291-2301. doi:10.1210/jc.2018-00070

View DOIView on PubMedView on PMC

Main Effects

Semaglutide 0.5 mg reduced HbA1c by 1.4% (15.8 mmol/mol) with p-value 0.0001.

Semaglutide 1.0 mg reduced HbA1c by 1.8% (20.2 mmol/mol) with p-value 0.0001.

Mean body weight decreased by 3.7 kg with semaglutide 0.5 mg with p-value 0.0001.

Mean body weight decreased by 6.4 kg with semaglutide 1.0 mg with p-value 0.0001.

Evidence network

How this study fits

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Evidence Context

This study contributes evidence to Semaglutide and Body weight, HbA1c.

This study contributes evidence to

Intervention

Semaglutide

Outcome

Body weight

Evidence topic

HbA1c Reduction

Primary intervention

Semaglutide

Primary outcomes

  • Body weight
  • HbA1c

Evidence topics

HbA1c ReductionWeight LossGLP-1 Receptor Agonists

Primary intervention

Semaglutide

Primary outcomes

Body weightHbA1c

Evidence relationships

Intervention and outcome relationships this study adds to the evidence network.

2
Evidence pairs
2
Relationships
3
Evidence topics
contributes_evidence

Editorial context

Why this study matters

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Evidence network role

This section describes how the study fits into the current evidence network. It does not determine whether an intervention works on its own.

Moderate contributionModerate confidenceNetwork score: 60

3

Related topics

2

Evidence pairs

1079

Related studies

High relevance in at least one topic

Why it is useful

  • Contributes to 2 evidence relationships
  • Includes primary outcome data
  • Linked to 3 direct semantic evidence topics

Topic contributions

Evidence topic

Contributes evidence

Evidence topic

Contributes evidence

Evidence topic

Contributes evidence

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Primary evidence

Evidence relationship

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and HbA1c

Related evidence

Evidence relationship

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Body Weight

Save evidence

Evidence topic

HbA1c Reduction

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Core evidence

Study findings

The primary outcomes reported in this study.

Body weight

Semaglutide → Body weight

Semaglutide → Body weight

Evidence Intelligence™
EvidenceScore™
86
Strong
ImpactScore™
76
Positive
ConsistencyScore™
92
consistent
Supporting studies: Based on 13 studies
Add to Evidence Tracker

HbA1c

Semaglutide → HbA1c

Semaglutide → HbA1c

Evidence Intelligence™
EvidenceScore™
88
Strong
ImpactScore™
87
Very Positive
ConsistencyScore™
88
consistent
Supporting studies: Based on 16 studies
Add to Evidence Tracker

Evidence Library

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evidence suggest

Evidence Suggest

  • Semaglutide 0.5 mg led to a 1.4% reduction in HbA1c.
  • Semaglutide 1.0 mg resulted in a 1.8% reduction in HbA1c.
  • Severe hypoglycemic episodes were more frequent with semaglutide 1.0 mg.
who this applies

Who this applies to

  • Adults with type 2 diabetes currently on basal insulin therapy.
  • Patients seeking additional treatment options for blood sugar control.
keep in mind

Keep in Mind

  • Results may not apply to populations outside the study demographics.
  • Increased risk of hypoglycemia should be monitored closely.
  • Long-term safety data is needed to fully understand the implications.
between the lines

Between the Lines

  • The study did not include a diverse population, limiting generalizability.
  • The sample size for severe hypoglycemic episodes was relatively small.
  • Long-term effects and safety of semaglutide were not assessed.

Evidence Library

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Connected Evidence

Explore related studies, evidence collections, and research questions.

Relationships organized using the Dediabetes Evidence Intelligence™ framework.

Powered by the Dediabetes Evidence Intelligence™ framework

This study contributes to evidence on GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and HbA1c, GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Body Weight.

Related evidence relationships

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This study contributes to the evidence on the following intervention-outcome relationships.

Questions answered by this study

Generated from the study's connected evidence using Evidence Intelligence™.

Do GLP-1 Receptor Agonists lower HbA1c?

Strong Evidence

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists appear to lower HbA1c.

ConsistencyScore™: Results are consistent across studies.

Ranked evidence signals

  1. 1

    HbA1c

    EvidenceScore™ Strong | EvidenceScore™ 88.2 | strong positive | ConsistencyScore™ Consistent | 1 study

Why this answer: This answer is based on 45 supporting studies with consistent results and a positive effect signal.

45 supporting studies
View Full Evidence

Do GLP-1 Receptor Agonists affect body weight?

Strong Evidence

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists may affect body weight.

ConsistencyScore™: Results are consistent across studies.

Ranked evidence signals

  1. 1

    Body weight

    EvidenceScore™ Strong | EvidenceScore™ 85.8 | moderate positive | ConsistencyScore™ Consistent | 1 study

Why this answer: This answer is based on 43 supporting studies with consistent results and a positive effect signal.

43 supporting studies
View Full Evidence
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Next steps

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Evidence topics

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HbA1c Reduction Evidence HubWeight Loss Evidence HubGLP-1 Receptor Agonists Evidence Hub

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All studies on Semaglutide and HbA1cAll studies on Semaglutide and Body weight

Related research

Read related research summaries.

Semaglutide may reduce cardiovascular events in non-diabetic patients.Oral semaglutide reduces cardiovascular events in type 2 diabetesSemaglutide improves insulin sensitivity in adolescents with obesityHigher semaglutide doses improve glucose control in type 2 diabetesNovel Semaglutide Injection Shows Non-Inferior Glycemic Control

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