Semaglutide & Obesity: Phase 2 Trial Results
- New research indicates that combining semaglutide, a popular drug for weight management and diabetes, with other therapies may improve the quality of weight loss.
- Semaglutide, known under brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) used to manage blood sugar in type 2 diabetes and promote weight...
- The COURAGE trial explored whether adding trevogrumab, with or without garetosmab, could counteract this effect.
Explore new findings from the Phase 2 COURAGE trial! This study reveals combining semaglutide, a popular drug for weight management, with trevogrumab and garetosmab may improve the quality of weight loss. While semaglutide alone proves effective,it can lead to lean mass loss. The trial’s interim results suggest that combining semaglutide with trevogrumab, and perhaps garetosmab, can counteract this by helping patients retain muscle mass. News Directory 3 keeps you informed on the latest health breakthroughs. Discover how these drug combinations may revolutionize obesity treatment and what the weight maintenance phase results predict.
Semaglutide Combinations May Preserve Muscle During Weight Loss
Updated June 11, 2025
New research indicates that combining semaglutide, a popular drug for weight management and diabetes, with other therapies may improve the quality of weight loss. The phase 2 COURAGE trial investigated the effects of combining semaglutide with trevogrumab and garetosmab on body composition.
Semaglutide, known under brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1) used to manage blood sugar in type 2 diabetes and promote weight loss. While effective, semaglutide can lead to the loss of lean mass, or muscle, along with fat.
The COURAGE trial explored whether adding trevogrumab, with or without garetosmab, could counteract this effect. Trevogrumab is an anti-GDF8 antibody, while garetosmab is an anti-activin A antibody. These antibodies may help preserve lean mass during weight loss.
Interim results from the trial suggest that about 35% of weight loss from semaglutide alone comes from lean mass. However, combining semaglutide with trevogrumab, with or without garetosmab, appeared to help patients retain lean mass while losing fat.
The COURAGE trial divided participants into a 26-week weight loss phase followed by a weight maintenance phase. During the initial phase, participants received semaglutide alone or in combination with different doses of trevogrumab and garetosmab.
Researchers assessed changes in lean mass, fat mass, and body weight using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans and scales.
“Recent advancements have resulted in patients being able to lose significant amounts of body weight. Unfortunatly, this weight loss comes at the cost of muscle loss, and we know muscle is important to overall health,” said George D. Yancopoulos,MD,phd,board co-chair,president,and chief scientific officer at regeneron.
What’s next
The trial is ongoing, and further results from the weight maintenance phase are expected later this year. These results will provide more data about the long-term effects of these drug combinations and help optimize dosing strategies for future studies on obesity treatment.