New FLOW trial data presented at ERA 2026 showed semaglutide improved health-related quality of life in adults with type 2 diabetes and CKD.
Once-weekly
The analysis showed that semaglutide improved patient-reported health status compared with placebo, corresponding to approximately 8 additional days in full health per year. The findings add patient-centered evidence to prior FLOW results showing that semaglutide reduced the risk of major kidney disease events by 24% and all-cause mortality by 20% compared with placebo over a median treatment duration of 3.4 years.2
KEY FACTS
The current analysis included 3533 randomized participants in FLOW, with 1767 assigned to semaglutide and 1766 assigned to placebo. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire, a patient-reported measure that evaluates mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain or discomfort, anxiety or depression, and overall health perception. Participants completed the questionnaire at baseline and yearly thereafter.1
After 2 years of treatment, health utility scores remained stable among participants receiving semaglutide but declined among those receiving placebo. The estimated treatment difference was +0.021 (P=.0001), which investigators said corresponded to approximately 8 additional days per year spent in full health.1
Self-rated general health scores, measured using a visual analogue scale, also favored semaglutide. Scores improved with semaglutide but worsened with placebo, with a significant treatment difference of +2.15 (P<.0001).1
Among the 5 domains assessed by the EQ-5D-5L, 4 improved significantly with semaglutide compared with placebo: mobility, self-care, usual activities, and pain or discomfort (all P<.03). No significant difference was observed for anxiety or depression (P=.55). Benefits were broadly consistent across prespecified patient subgroups, including age, body mass index, kidney function, urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, and history of cardiovascular events.1
“We were surprised by the extent of the quality-of-life benefits seen with semaglutide, because they were not only clinically meaningful but consistently experienced across multiple aspects of daily life, including physical functioning and overall well-being,” Johannes F. E. Mann, MD, lead author of the study and a professor of medicine at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany, said in a press release.3
For primary care clinicians, the findings may be relevant to treatment discussions with patients who have T2D and CKD, a population at high risk for kidney failure, cardiovascular complications, and reduced day-to-day functioning. CKD affects more than 850 million people globally and is closely associated with diabetes, hypertension, and cardio-kidney-metabolic disease.4,5
Mann noted that the quality-of-life findings were important given the gastrointestinal adverse effects associated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.3
“Our findings, however, confirm that the benefits of semaglutide in
Mann and colleagues noted in the study abstract that future research should evaluate what specifically drives the quality-of-life improvements observed with semaglutide and the mechanisms underlying these effects.1
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