Efficacy and Safety of Oral Semaglutide in the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis

This study aims to systematically review the efficacy and safety of oral semaglutide in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and provide a basis for the rational use of the drug in clinical practice. From the database's inception until February 2023, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and China Science and Technology Journal Database to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of oral semaglutide at dosages of 3, 7, and 14 mg (trial group) against placebo or other positive control drugs (control group) for the treatment of T2DM. Following literature screening and data extraction, the bias risk assessment tool in the Cochrane reviewer handbook 5.1.0 was used to evaluate the literature quality. Meta-analysis was carried out with RevMan 5.4 software. A total of 10 RCTs with 9541 patients were included. The meta-analysis results revealed that compared with placebo or positive control drugs (empagliflozin, sitagliptin, liraglutide, and dulaglutide), oral semaglutide significantly reduced the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in patients (compared to placebo, 3 mg [MD = −0.61%, 95% CI (−0.89, −0.34)], 7 mg [MD = −1.12%, 95% CI (−1.45, −0.79)], 14 mg [MD = −1.08%, 95% CI (−1.32, −0.85)]; compared to positive control drugs (7 mg [MD = −0.26%, 95% CI (−0.38, −0.15)], 14 mg [MD = −0.37%, 95% CI (−0.52, −0.23)]). Oral semaglutide also showed certain advantages over placebo or positive control drugs in terms of weight loss, HbA1c reduction achievement rate, fasting plasma glucose level, and body mass index with overall dose-dependent efficacy. The incidence of nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting caused by oral semaglutide was higher than that of the placebo or positive control drugs, and the incidence of appetite decrease or constipation was higher than that of the placebo. Severe or symptomatic hypoglycemic episodes were reduced compared to positive control drugs. Oral semaglutide has definite clinical benefits of reducing blood glucose, body weight, reducing the risk of hypoglycemia, and with good safety.