Dermatologic findings associated with semaglutide use: A scoping review

Abstract

To the Editor: Recent studies on semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist, have shown its broad applicability and effectiveness in reducing cardiovascular risk in individuals with obesity, inducing sustained weight loss, and improving glycemic control in type II diabetes. [1][2]2][3] However, few studies have characterized skin findings in patients on this medication.Through this scoping review, we aim to investigate reported dermatologic adverse events associated with both subcutaneous and oral administrations of semaglutide.We conducted a scoping review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, utilizing PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases on articles reporting dermatologic findings associated with semaglutide published until January 2024.Search strings were used to identify articles from these databases (Supplementary Methods, available via Mendeley at https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/3mxh852x4p/1).Duplicates were removed, and 2 authors independently extracted the data (M.M.T., A.C.L.).Uncertainties or discrepancies were discussed among these 2 authors, and a consensus was reached.Studies that specified another drug as the cause of the described adverse event were excluded.A total of 22 articles (15 clinical trials, 6 case reports, and 1 retrospective cohort study) were included (Supplementary Table I, available via Mendeley at https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/ djcggf9855/1).These articles describe semaglutideassociated dermatologic adverse events in 255 patients (Table I).Injection site reactions occurred in 3.5% of patients taking semaglutide; however, this was lower than the rate in the placebo and comparator groups (6.7%).For all other reports, adverse events were more frequently observed with sema-

Topics & Concepts