Diabetes mellitus type 2

Active Ingredient: Semaglutide

Indication for Semaglutide

Population group: only adults (18 - 65 years old)

Semaglutide is indicated for the treatment of adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise:

  • as monotherapy when metformin is considered inappropriate due to intolerance or contraindications.
  • in addition to other medicinal products for the treatment of diabetes.

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments:

0.25-1 mg once weekly

Route of admnistration

Subcutaneous

Defined daily dose

0.25 - 1 mg

Dosage regimen

From 0.25 To 1 mg once every 7 day(s)

Detailed description

The starting dose is 0.25 mg semaglutide once weekly. After 4 weeks the dose should be increased to 0.5 mg once weekly. After at least 4 weeks with a dose of 0.5 mg once weekly, the dose can be increased to 1 mg once weekly to further improve glycaemic control.

Semaglutide 0.25 mg is not a maintenance dose. Weekly doses higher than 1 mg are not recommended.

When semaglutide is added to existing metformin and/or thiazolidinedione therapy, the current dose of metformin and/or thiazolidinedione can be continued unchanged.

When semaglutide is added to existing therapy of sulfonylurea or insulin, a reduction in the dose of sulfonylurea or insulin should be considered to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose is not needed in order to adjust the dose of semaglutide. However, when initiating treatment with semaglutide in combination with a sulfonylurea or an insulin, blood glucose self-monitoring may become necessary to adjust the dose of the sulfonylurea or the insulin to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia.

Missed dose

If a dose is missed, it should be administered as soon as possible and within 5 days after the missed dose. If more than 5 days have passed, the missed dose should be skipped, and the next dose should be administered on the regularly scheduled day. In each case, patients can then resume their regular once weekly dosing schedule.

Dosage considerations

Semaglutide is to be administered once weekly at any time of the day, with or without meals.

Semaglutide is to be injected subcutaneously in the abdomen, in the thigh or in the upper arm. The injection site can be changed without dose adjustment. Semaglutide should not be administered intravenously or intramuscularly.

The day of weekly administration can be changed if necessary as long as the time between two doses is at least 3 days (>72 hours). After selecting a new dosing day, once-weekly dosing should be continued.

Active ingredient

Semaglutide

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It acts in the same way as GLP-1 (a hormone produced in the gut) by increasing the amount of insulin that the pancreas releases in response to food. This helps with the control of blood glucose levels.

Read more about Semaglutide

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