Glasgow, ScotlandJune 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Landmark findings from the FLOW trial, presented at the 63rd ERA Congress, reveal that once-weekly semaglutide significantly improves health-related quality of life in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), equivalent to gaining approximately eight days of full health per year.
The trial previously demonstrated that, compared with placebo, semaglutide reduced the risk of major kidney disease events by 24% and all-cause mortality by 20% over a median treatment duration of 3.4 years. This new analysis provides patient-centered complementary evidence, suggesting that the benefits of semaglutide may extend beyond traditional clinical outcomes to how patients feel and function in their daily lives.
For individuals with T2D and CKD, symptoms, treatment burden, and reduced physical function can severely impact daily well-being, making quality of life an increasingly important treatment goal.
Among the 3,533 randomized participants in the FLOW trial, 1,767 received semaglutide and 1,766 received placebo. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire, a patient-reported measure of health status and well-being covering mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression, and overall health perception.
Compared with placebo, semaglutide led to significant improvements in four of the five assessed domains (mobility, self-care, usual activities, and pain/discomfort). No significant difference was observed in anxiety/depression. Benefits were generally consistent across patient subgroups.
Professor Johannes Mann, lead study author, stated: “We were surprised by the extent of quality-of-life benefits seen with semaglutide, as they are not only clinically meaningful but also consistently experienced across multiple aspects of daily life, including physical function and overall well-being.”
“We were uncertain about the quality-of-life outcomes, as gastrointestinal side effects are common with GLP-1 receptor agonists,” Professor Mann added. “Our findings confirm that the benefits of semaglutide in chronic kidney disease extend beyond traditional clinical endpoints to subjective outcomes directly relevant to patients.”