How does American Telehealth Review score telehealth providers?

Every provider is scored on a uniform v3.0 six-pillar rubric: Clinical Quality (25 points), Pricing & Value (20 points), Patient Experience (15 points), Safety & Compliance (15 points), Transparency (15 points), and Continuity of Care (10 points). Total possible score is 100 points.

How often are scores updated?

Every provider is fully re-scored every 90 days. Material events such as pricing changes or FDA actions trigger an off-cycle re-scoring within 14 days.

Can providers pay to improve their score?

No. The v3.0 rubric is applied uniformly across all providers. Pillar weights cannot be modified, and Editor's Pick selection is based exclusively on score plus qualitative review.

Journal · Evidence review

What the STEP Trials Show About Semaglutide for Weight Loss

A plain-language summary of the STEP trial program evidence for semaglutide weight loss, including the landmark STEP 1 result, for telehealth patients.

Published by Ranika Editorial Group LLCUpdated June 1, 2026

Direct Answer

How much weight does semaglutide cause in clinical trials?

In the landmark STEP 1 trial (New England Journal of Medicine, 2021), adults with obesity taking semaglutide 2.4 mg lost about 14.9% of body weight on average over 68 weeks, versus about 2.4% with placebo, alongside lifestyle support. Later STEP trials reinforced this across different populations.

Disclaimer: American Telehealth Review is an editorial resource and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved finished drug products and should only be prescribed when clinically appropriate by a licensed healthcare provider. Brand-name medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are FDA-approved under their own applications. Compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide are not FDA-approved finished drug products.

The STEP program in brief

The STEP trials evaluated once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg for chronic weight management. STEP 1 established the headline ~14.9% average reduction; subsequent trials examined type 2 diabetes, intensive behavioral therapy, and longer-term treatment.

How trial results translate

Trial averages reflect supervised conditions with lifestyle support. Real-world results vary with adherence, dose, and care quality. Compounded semaglutide is not the FDA-approved product studied in STEP. Compare programs on oversight and true monthly cost.

Mean weight loss in pivotal GLP-1 trials

Mean body-weight reduction reported in pivotal trials (efficacy/treatment-regimen estimands as published). Populations and estimands differ between trials, so figures are directly comparable only within SURMOUNT-5, the one head-to-head study. Sources: STEP 1 (NEJM 2021); SURMOUNT-1 (NEJM 2022); SURMOUNT-5 (NEJM 2025); OASIS-4 (2025); ATTAIN-1 (NEJM 2025).

Medication	Trial (year)	Mean weight loss
Tirzepatide 15 mg	SURMOUNT-1 (2022)	20.9%
Tirzepatide	SURMOUNT-5 (2025)	20.2%
Semaglutide 2.4 mg	STEP 1 (2021)	14.9%
Semaglutide 2.4 mg	SURMOUNT-5 (2025)	13.7%
Oral semaglutide 25 mg	OASIS-4 (2025)	13.6%
Oral orforglipron 36 mg	ATTAIN-1 (2025)	12.4%

Data shown in the chart above. Compounded versions are not the FDA-approved products studied in these trials.

Frequently asked questions

How much weight loss does semaglutide cause?

About 14.9% on average over 68 weeks in STEP 1, with lifestyle support; individual results vary.

Is compounded semaglutide the same as the STEP trial drug?

No; STEP used FDA-approved semaglutide, not a compounded product.

Sources

Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). N Engl J Med. 2021.
Rubino D et al. Effect of continued semaglutide vs placebo on weight maintenance (STEP 4). JAMA. 2021.
U.S. FDA — Medications containing semaglutide and tirzepatide; Compounding and the FDA (fda.gov).