Oral vs. Injectable Semaglutide: How Do They Compare in the Real World? | Research

The takeaway

Real-world data from a single center compared oral and injectable semaglutide for blood sugar and weight outcomes in type 2 diabetes.

6 months
Follow-up period comparing HbA1c and weight changes between oral and injectable semaglutide

What the researchers found

First real-world comparison of oral vs. injectable semaglutide for HbA1c and weight reduction in type 2 diabetes patients.

Why it matters

Clinicians and patients assume oral and injectable semaglutide are interchangeable, but real-world data to support this has been lacking.

The numbers in context

Retrospective single-center study. Patients on oral or injectable semaglutide (Nov 2019-Jul 2022). Compared HbA1c and weight changes at 6 months, stratified by dose.

How the study worked

Retrospective single-center chart review comparing oral and injectable semaglutide outcomes at 6 months.

Who was studied

Adults with T2D on oral or injectable semaglutide

What this study cannot tell us

Retrospective single-center study — subject to selection bias, confounding, and limited generalizability.

How to read the evidence

Retrospective single-center review — useful real-world evidence but lower quality than randomized controlled trials.

When this study was published

Published in 2025, filling a gap in head-to-head formulation comparison data.

The bigger picture

As patients increasingly switch between oral and injectable semaglutide, understanding their comparative real-world effectiveness is essential for clinical decisions.

Questions still open

Do formulation-switching patients maintain the same outcomes?
Would a larger multi-center study confirm these findings?

Common questions

Are oral and injectable semaglutide equally effective?

This real-world study compared the two formulations directly — previously no head-to-head data existed to answer this question.

Can I switch from injectable to oral semaglutide?

Many patients do switch formulations. This study helps inform whether outcomes remain comparable in real-world practice.

Read the original research

Real-World Comparison of Oral Versus Injectable Semaglutide for the Reduction of Hemoglobin A1C and Weight in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

The Journal of pharmacy technology : jPT : official publication of the Association of Pharmacy Technicians, 41(1), 22-31

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Pinto, Maria; Brennan, Lillian; Diehl, Katie; Lin, Shally; Heacock, Samantha. (2025). Real-World Comparison of Oral Versus Injectable Semaglutide for the Reduction of Hemoglobin A1C and Weight in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.. The Journal of pharmacy technology : jPT : official publication of the Association of Pharmacy Technicians, 41(1), 22-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551225241289959