ok this is going to sound dumb but what does "68 weeks" translate to in real time? I always have to do the math lol
About 15.5 months, so roughly a year and a half 👍
One thing I want to add about STEP 2 (the diabetes population) — the lower weight loss (9.6% vs 14.9%) is important to understand because a LOT of people on this forum have T2D. If you have diabetes and you're comparing yourself to people in the STEP 1 population, you're going to feel like a failure even when you're actually having a great response.
Also, the A1C improvements in STEP 2 were incredible even when weight loss was "less." The mean A1C reduction was about 1.6 percentage points, with many participants achieving A1C <5.7% (non-diabetic range). So for T2D patients, the metabolic benefits go way beyond the scale number.
Great addition. And since we're talking SELECT trial now too — the cardiovascular outcomes data showed a 20% reduction in MACE (major adverse cardiac events) in the semaglutide group vs placebo, independent of weight loss or diabetes status.[1] This is arguably the most important clinical finding because it establishes semaglutide as a cardiovascular drug, not just a weight loss/diabetes drug.
The implications for insurance coverage are huge. It's much harder for payers to deny a medication that reduces heart attacks and strokes.
Glad this thread is getting good engagement. Bookmarking all of these responses. The MACE data from SELECT is really what moved the needle (no pun intended) for the medical community in terms of taking semaglutide seriously as more than "just a weight loss shot."
If anyone wants to do a similar deep dive on the tirzepatide SURMOUNT data, I'd be happy to contribute. Different mechanism, different data, equally interesting.