PIONEER REAL UK results published!

October 16, 2024

The NICRN would like to congratulate our amazing NHSCT Diabetes team on strong recruitment figures and the publication of PIONEER REAL UK.

Co-author Dr Anna Strzelecka leading the team in Northern Trust, including Ms Moyra McMaster and Ms Natalie Hanley. NHSCT was one of the top recruiters in the UK with 24 patients, achieving a recruitment to target of 240%. This is no easy task and shows the hard work and dedication of the NHSCT based research team.

PIONEER REAL UK investigated the use of a tablet form of the medicine semaglutide in people living with type 2 diabetes in the UK. The purpose was to determine how well the tablet works for blood sugar control and weight loss in everyday clinical practice. The study followed 333 participants whose doctors had given them semaglutide tablets. The participants’ blood sugar levels dropped a lot, and body weight was lowered by an average of 4.8 kg during the 34–44 weeks of the study. The participants were also more satisfied with their treatment at the end of the study than before taking the semaglutide tablet. Doctors treating the participants found the treatment to be a success in more than two-thirds of participants. The study also found that the semaglutide tablet was not associated with cases of too low blood sugar and was generally well tolerated. In summary, the semaglutide tablet is a good option for people living with type 2 diabetes who need better blood sugar control and would benefit from weight loss. The treatment is generally well tolerated, and people are very satisfied with it.