Evidence synthesis · §4
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for weight reduction in adults with obesity — summary of findings
Outcome-by-outcome summary with effect, certainty and the reason for each downgrade.
§4Summary of findings
§4.1Summary of findings
Table 7. Summary of findings for Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for weight reduction in adults with obesity.
| Outcome | Participants (studies) | Effect as reported | Certainty | Reason for downgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage change in body weight from baselineThe outcome the Institute designates as anchor for this indication. | 30,371 (12) | High certainty evidence indicates that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists reduce body weight substantially more than placebo over 56 to 104… | High | no downgrade |
| Discontinuation for adverse eventsReported as a summary-of-findings row rather than in a tolerability annex, following a public submission. | 29,078 (12) | Reported per contributing trial; see the included-studies table | High | no downgrade |
| Serious adverse eventsEvent counts are low; the estimate is imprecise by construction. | 22,054 (10) | Reported per contributing trial; see the included-studies table | Moderate | risk of bias |
| Any adverse eventAscertained by spontaneous report in the contributing trials. | 26,585 (10) | Reported per contributing trial; see the included-studies table | Moderate | indirectness |
| Proportion achieving ≥5 %, ≥10 %, ≥15 % and ≥20 % weight reductionA secondary outcome for this indication. Its hierarchical position within each contributing trial is recorded on that trial's abstract where the Institute holds it. | 14,404 (11) | Reported as a secondary outcome in a subset of contributing trials | Moderate | indirectness |
| Change in waist circumferenceA secondary outcome for this indication. Its hierarchical position within each contributing trial is recorded on that trial's abstract where the Institute holds it. | 25,275 (11) | Reported as a secondary outcome in a subset of contributing trials | Moderate | publication bias |
| Certainty ratings describe confidence in the effect estimate for the stated outcome. They are not recommendations and do not transfer between outcomes. | ||||
§4.2Forest plot
Study estimatePooled estimate
§4.3Certainty assessment for the anchor outcome
Table 8. Reasoning recorded against each certainty domain for the anchor outcome.
| Domain | Rating | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Risk of bias | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Inconsistency | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Indirectness | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Imprecision | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Publication bias | No concern | No serious concern identified in this domain. |
| Overall: High certainty. The Institute is confident that the true effect lies close to the estimate. Further research is very unlikely to change confidence in the estimate. | ||
References cited on this page
References are numbered in order of first citation in this document. Each superscript in the text links to its entry below.
- Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, Davies M, Van Gaal LF, Lingvay I, McGowan BM, Rosenstock J, Tran MTD, Wadden TA, Wharton S, Yokote K, Zeuthen N, Kushner RF. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. New England Journal of Medicine 2021;384(11):989–1002. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2032183 · PMID 33567185
- Davies M, Færch L, Jeppesen OK, Pakseresht A, Pedersen SD, Perreault L, Rosenstock J, Shimomura I, Viljoen A, Wadden TA, Lingvay I. Semaglutide 2·4 mg once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, and type 2 diabetes (STEP 2): a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. The Lancet 2021;397(10278):971–984. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00213-0 · PMID 33667417
Identifiers are reproduced only where the Institute holds them. Where a digital object identifier or PubMed identifier is not shown, the Institute has recorded the journal and year and has not constructed an identifier.
Compound Evidence Institute · CEI-ES-001/4 · https://compoundevidence.com/syntheses/glp1-obesity-weight-change/summary-of-findings/ · retrieved 30 July 2026