Semaglutide (injectable)

Long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist peptide analogue

Also known as: Sema· community shorthandOzempic· brand nameWegovy· brand name

Obesityweight management

Evidence levelEstablished clinical

Human evidenceSubstantial

Regulatory statusAuthorised product exists

What you need to know in 20 seconds

What is it?	Long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist peptide analogue
Research focus	Obesity, weight management, cardiovascular outcomes, heart failure, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes
Human evidence	Extensive Phase III evidence supports weight loss with regulated semaglutide. SELECT demonstrated cardiovascular benefit in a defined population, and STEP 9 showed improved knee-OA pain/function in adults with obesity.
Regulatory status	Wegovy (semaglutide) is authorised in the EU for weight management in defined adults and adolescents; authorisation and dosing are product-, route-, indication- and jurisdiction-specific.
Main limitations	An approved semaglutide active ingredient does not make unverified compounded/research-market material equivalent to an authorised product.
Safety	GI effects are common; authorised product information should govern contraindications, interactions, pregnancy advice and monitoring.

Extensive Phase III evidence supports weight loss with regulated semaglutide. SELECT demonstrated cardiovascular benefit in a defined population, and STEP 9 showed improved knee-OA pain/function in adults with obesity.

What the evidence actually supports

✓High-certainty human evidence for indicated populations; not transferable to unverified products.
✓Strong outcome evidence, but population must be stated every time.
✓Useful cross-over between Weight and Injury/Recovery hubs.

What is not established / key limitations

×Treatment discontinuation and GI adverse events occur; withdrawal studies show substantial weight regain after stopping.
×More treatment discontinuation due to adverse events (16.6% vs 8.2%).
×The study does not demonstrate cartilage regeneration or a direct peptide healing effect.

Selected study & evidence records

Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1)

2021 · Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial · n=1961

Mean weight change -14.9% with semaglutide vs -2.4% placebo; 86.4% achieved ≥5% loss.

Study detail → Primary source ↗

Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes (SELECT)

2023 · Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cardiovascular outcomes trial · n=17604

MACE occurred in 6.5% vs 8.0%; HR 0.80 (95% CI 0.72–0.90).

Study detail → Primary source ↗

STEP 9 semaglutide in obesity and knee osteoarthritis

2024 · Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial · n=407

Weight changed -13.7% versus -3.2%; WOMAC pain improved -41.7 versus -27.5 points with placebo.

Study detail → Primary source ↗

Safety and unknowns

GI effects are common; authorised product information should govern contraindications, interactions, pregnancy advice and monitoring.

Gastrointestinal adverse effects are common. Product information includes important warnings, contraindications and monitoring considerations; risks depend on indication, formulation and co-medication.

Technical details

Mechanism / biologyGLP-1 receptor agonism reduces appetite and energy intake, slows gastric emptying and improves glucose-dependent insulin secretion.

Route / formulation boundaryEvidence for licensed pre-filled injection pens cannot establish identity, concentration, sterility or equivalence of unverified semaglutide vials or non-authorised products.

Identity / data-quality noteSeparate injectable weight-management evidence from oral formulations and from semaglutide products authorised for other indications.

Dosing evidence statusApproved dosing plus large human trial evidence. Licensed injection dosing is titrated and product-specific; STEP 1 used 2.4 mg once weekly after escalation. See dosing records.

Identifiers & alternate namesSema · Ozempic · Wegovy