GLP-1 Evidence

Not medical advice. A record of published research and our assessments of it. The limits

Safety outcomes of semaglutide by chronic kidney disease severity in the FLOW trial

Design
Randomized trial · 3533 participants · Mixed outcome
Match to healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75
Different populationINDIRECT: all participants had type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Could weight loss explain it?
PossiblyPossibly: the abstract reports no weight or HbA1c change and no analysis separating them from the safety findings (rule 6 default).
Study tier
Study tier 2MODERATE: a prespecified secondary analysis of a large double-blind randomized trial (3533 participants), reported descriptively by subgroup without confidence intervals.
Assessment
Version 4 · Two independent AI reviews agreed · Nov 7, 2026

Study facts come from the paper. Population match, weight-loss explanation and study tier are our judgments, made against the reference group of healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75.

This prespecified analysis of the FLOW trial looked at side effects of weekly semaglutide versus placebo in 3533 people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, grouped by kidney function. Serious adverse events were less common with semaglutide in every kidney-function group (for example 45.1% versus 50.4% in the 60 or more ml/min per 1.73 m2 subgroup), but stopping treatment because of gastrointestinal side effects was more common (4.5% vs 1.1%). The results are descriptive, without statistical tests.

01Findings

What the study reported

Drugs
Semaglutide
Dose
1.0 mg once-weekly
Route
subcutaneous
Comparator
placebo
Primary outcome
safety by baseline eGFR: serious adverse events, AEs leading to discontinuation, and adverse events of special interest
Effect
SAEs fewer with semaglutide across eGFR subgroups (45.1% versus 50.4% at eGFR 60 or more; 56.4% versus 60.4% under 30); discontinuations for gastrointestinal AEs higher with semaglutide (4.5% vs 1.1%); AESI frequencies similar
95% confidence interval
Not extracted
Follow-up
Not stated
Adverse events
SAEs less frequent with semaglutide than placebo across eGFR subgroups; discontinuations for gastrointestinal AEs more frequent with semaglutide (4.5% vs 1.1%); AESIs similar; no unexpected safety concerns.
Limitations
A descriptive subgroup analysis without statistical testing, in a trial where safety data were collected selectively; limited to people with type 2 diabetes and CKD.

Who was studied

Diabetes status
type 2 diabetes required
Ckd status
chronic kidney disease required
Baseline condition
type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease
Sample size
3533
Inclusion exclusion
type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease

Study quality details

Study design
Randomized controlled trial
Sample size
3533
Randomization
yes
Blinding
double-blind
Comparator
placebo
Follow up duration
not stated
Outcome type
mixed
Replication
not assessed
Consistency with other evidence
not assessed
Population applicability
INDIRECT
Statistical precision
no CI reported; 3533 participants; descriptive numerical reporting
Risk of bias
not assessed
Peer review status
yes
02Funding

Funding and conflicts

Funding
not reported in abstract
Industry funded
Unclear
Manufacturer
not stated in source
Sponsor role
not reported in abstract
Author conflicts
not reported in abstract
Independent replication
unknown

Funding is shown on every study and never used to score it.

04Source

The source, as retrieved

Abstract

[INTRODUCTION] People with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) often experience medication intolerance and side effects that worsen with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). This prespecified secondary analysis assessed the safety of semaglutide by baseline eGFR. [METHODS] FLOW (NCT03819153) was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial testing the efficacy of subcutaneous semaglutide 1.0 mg once-weekly on a primary kidney outcome (50% or more eGFR reduction, kidney failure, or death due to kidney or cardiovascular causes) in participants with T2D and CKD. Safety data were collected selectively and included serious adverse events (SAEs), AEs leading to treatment discontinuation, and prespecified AEs of special interest (AESIs). In this descriptive assessment, systematically collected safety data were reported numerically by baseline eGFR. [RESULTS] Of 3533 participants, 1767 received semaglutide and 1766 received placebo. Fewer SAEs were reported with semaglutide than placebo across baseline eGFR subgroups (45.1% versus 50.4% in the 60 or more ml/min per 1.73 m2 subgroup, and 56.4% versus 60.4% in the under 30 ml/min per 1.73 m2 subgroup). SAEs related to infections and infestations; cardiac disorders; respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders; and metabolism and nutrition disorders were generally less frequent with semaglutide than placebo, regardless of baseline eGFR. Treatment discontinuations due to AEs were higher with lower baseline eGFR across treatment groups (60 or more ml/min per 1.73 m2: semaglutide 11.2%, placebo 11.3%; under30 ml/min per 66 1.73 m2: semaglutide 18.8%, placebo 18.7%). Discontinuations specifically due to gastrointestinal AEs were reported more frequently with semaglutide (4.5%) than placebo (1.1%), regardless of baseline eGFR. Frequencies of AESI were similar between treatment groups across baseline eGFR subgroups. [CONCLUSIONS] In this safety assessment, SAEs were reported less frequently with semaglutide than placebo, with corresponding patterns observed for treatment discontinuations and AESIs. No unexpected safety concerns were identified across the spectrum of eGFR represented in the FLOW trial.

Where this record came from

SourceRetrievedIdentifier
pubmedOct 25, 202642901325
first ingestion
pubmedOct 25, 202642901325
duplicate matched on doi
pubmedOct 25, 202642901325
duplicate matched on doi
pubmedNov 1, 202642901325
duplicate matched on doi
pubmedNov 1, 202642901325
duplicate matched on doi
pubmedNov 1, 202642901325
duplicate matched on doi
owner-reviewNov 6, 2026
reviewed_by set to Carrie Schluter (2026-11-05) on the owner's own confirmation. The assessment is unchanged and still the auto-classifier's, so its extracted values stay withheld under the 2026-10-18 decision.
reextractNov 6, 2026
dose: '1.0 mg once-weekly' -> '1.0 mg'. Q-043: manufacturer and drug_details.dose re-extracted by auto-classifier-v1.2. manufacturer no longer reads companies named only in the authors' conflicts statement (IN-062) and refuses a multi-company roster; dose is tied to the GLP-1 agent by name, never reads a concentration, and records a multi-dose design whole. Every other value is carried forward unchanged. Owner decision IN-064 option 1, 2026-11-06.
reextractNov 6, 2026
drug_details.dose: '1.0 mg' -> '1.0 mg once weekly'. Q-043: manufacturer, drug_details.dose and the funding fields re-extracted by auto-classifier-v1.2. manufacturer no longer reads companies named only in the authors' conflicts statement (IN-062) and refuses a multi-company roster; dose is tied to the GLP-1 agent by name, never reads a concentration, records a multi-dose design whole and keeps a frequency written beside the amount; industry_funded, sponsor_role and funding_source read the conflicts statement's own sponsor sentences, a supplier counting as partial. Every other value is carried forward unchanged, evidence_level included. Owner decisions IN-064, 2026-11-06.