Semaglutide delays 4‐hour gastric emptying in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and obesity

Abstract Aim To evaluate the effect of once‐weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 1.0 mg on the late digestive period of gastric emptying (GE) after ingestion of a standardized solid test meal by using technetium scintigraphy, the reference method for this purpose. Methods We conducted a single‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial in 20 obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS; mean [range] age 35 [32.3‐40.8] years, body mass index 37 [30.7‐39.8] kg/m 2 ) randomized to subcutaneous semaglutide 1.0 mg once weekly or placebo for 12 weeks. GE was assessed after ingestion of [ 99mT c] colloid in a pancake labelled with radiopharmaceutical by scintigraphy using sequential static imaging and dynamic acquisition at baseline and at Week 13. Estimation of GE was obtained by repeated imaging of remaining [ 99mT c] activity at fixed time intervals over the course of 4 hours after ingestion. Results From baseline to the study end, semaglutide increased the estimated retention of gastric contents by 3.5% at 1 hour, 25.5% at 2 hours, 38.0% at 3 hours and 30.0% at 4 hours after ingestion of the radioactively labelled solid meal. Four hours after ingestion, semaglutide retained 37% of solid meal in the stomach compared to no gastric retention in the placebo group ( P = 0.002). Time taken for half the radiolabelled meal to empty from the stomach was significantly longer in the semaglutide group than the placebo group (171 vs. 118 min; P < 0.001). Conclusion Semaglutide markedly delayed 4‐hour GE in women with PCOS and obesity.