Hospitalisations are a major burden for people with type 2 diabetes and concomitant atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or chronic kidney disease. At EASD 2025, secondary analyses from the Semaglutide Cardiovascular Outcomes Trial (SOUL) examined the impact of oral semaglutide on hospitalisation rates.

The double-blind, randomised trial enrolled 9,650 participants aged ≥50 years with HbA1c 6.5–10.0%, assigning them 1:1 to oral semaglutide or placebo. Hospitalisations were identified from serious adverse event reports and categorised using MedDRA. Over a mean follow-up of 47.5 months, oral semaglutide significantly reduced the incidence of first hospitalisation, total hospitalisations, hospital stays of ≥3 days or ending in death, and total days hospitalised compared with placebo. Cardiac events and infections accounted for the most frequent hospitalisations, with semaglutide reducing the risk of initial hospitalisation for these events by 14% and 11%, respectively.

These findings highlight the potential of oral semaglutide to lower hospitalisation burden and improve outcomes in high-risk patients, complementing its established benefits in reducing major adverse cardiovascular events.