Study summary · research use only
Evaluating the efficacy and safety of survodutide for obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This systematic review and meta-analysis of human randomized controlled trials assessed survodutide, a GLP-1 agonist, for obesity, searching PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases through May 2024. The abstract reports a relative body weight reduction associated with survodutide (SMD: -1.5; 95% CI: -2.05 to -0.95; P<0.00001). Overall adverse events across four included studies did not differ significantly between survodutide and placebo groups (RR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.41; P=0.08), while survodutide was associated with a higher risk of diarrhea than placebo (RR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.2 to 2.97; P<0.00001). Survodutide was associated with reductions in relative body weight, absolute body weight, and hemoglobin A1c (P<0.00001), with gastrointestinal adverse events higher in the survodutide group.
Abstract
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists have established their efficacy and safety in the treatment of obesity. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of survodutide, a new GLP-1 agonist. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases until May 2024 for randomized controlled trials using survodutide obesity treatment. Continuous data were pooled as standardized mean difference (SMD), while dichotomous data were pooled as risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals. There was a significant relative body weight reduction in the survodutide group (SMD: -1.5; 95% CI: -2.05 to -0.95; P < 0.00001). Overall adverse events in the four included studies weren't significantly different between the survodutide group and placebo group (RR: 1.18; 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.41; I 2 = 72%; P = 0.08). Survodutide was associated with a higher risk of developing diarrhea than the placebo group in the four included trials (RR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.2 to 2.97; I 2=0%; P < 0.00001). Survodutide effectively reduced relative body weight, absolute body weight, and hemoglobin A1c (P < 0.00001). The incidence of adverse events was comparable between the two groups, while gastrointestinal adverse events were higher in the survodutide group.
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