Back to the article

HealthRX.com · Printable question sheet

STEP trial reading sheet: which result fits your situation

Match a STEP trial result to your own situation before relying on it: who the trial enrolled, what the comparison arm received, how long it ran and what the number measures. Questions for your prescriber are at the end.

Companion to “Wegovy STEP Trials Compared: Results Across STEP 1-8” · healthrx.com/glp-1/compare-step-series · Facts checked 2026-10-19

What each trial tested

  • STEP 1: 1,961 adults without diabetes, BMI 30 or more (27 or more with a weight-related condition), 68 weeks, semaglutide 2.4 mg against placebo.[1]
  • STEP 2: 1,210 adults with type 2 diabetes and BMI 27 or more, 68 weeks, semaglutide 2.4 mg, semaglutide 1.0 mg or placebo.[2]
  • STEP 3: 611 adults without diabetes, 68 weeks; both arms had a low-calorie diet for the first 8 weeks and 30 counseling visits.[3]
  • STEP 5: 304 adults without diabetes, 152 per arm, followed to week 104.[4]
  • STEP 8: 338 adults without diabetes in all, 68 weeks; semaglutide 2.4 mg compared open-label with daily liraglutide 3.0 mg (127 on liraglutide), and 85 of the 338 on pooled placebo.[5]

Your situation

Type 2 diabetesyes or no
BMI and any weight-related conditions
Lifestyle support you will havebrief counseling, or an intensive program with many visits
GLP-1 medicines used beforefor example liraglutide
How long you expect to stay on treatment

Before quoting a STEP number

  • Which trial, and which arm, the number belongs to
  • Whether it is change from baseline or the difference from the comparator
  • What the comparator received: placebo, an intensive program, or another drug
  • The week it was measured
  • Whether it counts everyone randomized or only people who stayed on treatment

For your prescriber

  1. Which STEP trial enrolled people most like me?
  2. If I have type 2 diabetes, which trial's results apply to me?
  3. Will I have a structured lifestyle program, and how does it compare with what STEP 3 provided?
  4. What tends to happen to weight if treatment stops, and which trial studied that?
  5. How long do you expect me to stay on treatment, and how will we judge whether it is working?
Sources for the facts on this sheet
  1. Wilding JPH, et al.. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. N Engl J Med 2021. PMID 33567185. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/
  2. Davies M, et al.. 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. Lancet 2021. PMID 33667417. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33667417/
  3. Wadden TA, et al.. Effect of Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo as an Adjunct to Intensive Behavioral Therapy on Body Weight in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: The STEP 3 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2021. PMID 33625476. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33625476/
  4. Garvey WT, et al.. Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: the STEP 5 trial. Nat Med 2022. PMID 36216945. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36216945/
  5. Rubino DM, et al.. Effect of Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Daily Liraglutide on Body Weight in Adults With Overweight or Obesity Without Diabetes: The STEP 8 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2022. PMID 35015037. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35015037/

This sheet records information for a conversation with your prescriber or pharmacist. It does not replace their instructions or the medication's prescribing information.