Study wrapper · #1180
Efficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide 2·4 mg in Chinese adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 12): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase 3b trial.
Editor's note
STEP 12 extends the semaglutide 2.4 mg weight-loss evidence base to a Chinese population using locally defined BMI thresholds, which start lower than Western cutoffs. The result — a 9.9 percentage-point placebo-adjusted weight reduction at 44 weeks — lands squarely in line with earlier STEP trials, and the safety profile was familiar, led by gastrointestinal events. It is a Novo Nordisk-funded phase 3b trial, but the design is rigorous and the finding consistent with the wider program.
Plain-language abstract
In a 44-week placebo-controlled trial of 242 Chinese adults with overweight or obesity, weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg produced an average 12.1 percent body-weight reduction versus 2.2 percent with placebo. About four in five participants on semaglutide lost at least 5 percent of their body weight; stomach-related side effects were the most common complaint.