Does semaglutide work for weight loss?
Yes, in large studies where it was compared with a dummy shot. It is one of the best-studied compounds this site tracks, with studies covering more than 17,000 people. It is FDA approved for long-term weight management and for type 2 diabetes. Later studies added a pill form and a higher shot dose, each tested in its own careful study before approval.
Studies in people from the compound pages this answer belongs to
- Semaglutide
- Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes (SELECT) 2023 PMID 37952131
- Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1) 2021 PMID 33567185
- Efficacy and safety of oral semaglutide 14 mg (flexible dose) in early-stage symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (evoke and evoke+): two phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled trials 2026 PMID 41865758
Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use.
Part of glp-1 and metabolic peptides. Semaglutide, tirzepatide, retatrutide, and the rest of the incretin and glucagon receptor family.