A diet pill that lowers blood sugar and increases fat burning without negatively affecting appetite or muscle mass, could help patients lose weight without suffering brutal side effects.
The potential new drug treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, which is taken in tablet form, works in a completely different way to GLP-1 injections such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
These injections work by mimicking the natural hormone which regulates blood sugar, appetite and digestion.
These injections affect the hunger signals between the gut and the brain, but can often cause a loss of appetite, reduced muscle mass and gastrointestinal problems – leaving people feeling weaker or saggy.
However, the new drug works by triggering the metabolism in the muscles, activating them to burn more fat.
In animal studies, the treatment has shown good effects on both blood sugar control and body composition, but without the side effects associated with today's GLP-1-based drugs.
The study published in the journal Cell by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, revealed an initial clinical trial involving 48 healthy participants and 25 people with type 2 diabetes found humans can also tolerate the treatment.
"Our results point to a future where we can improve metabolic health without losing muscle mass. Muscles are important in both type 2 diabetes and obesity, and muscle mass is also directly correlated with life expectancy," said one of the researchers behind the study, Tore Bengtsson, professor at the Department of Molecular Bioscience, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University.
The drug is based on a substance – a type of β2 (beta) agonist – which researchers have developed in a lab. Beta 2 agonist drugs are commonly used to treat asthma, but they can cause side-effects such as an increased heart rate or tremors.
Researchers say the molecule they created has a positive effect on the muscles without overstimulating the heart.
“This drug represents a completely new type of treatment and has the potential to be of great importance for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Our substance appears to promote healthy weight loss and, in addition, patients do not have to take injections," said Shane Wright, assistant professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet, who is one of the researchers behind the study.
The next step for researchers is a clinical study planned by Atrogi AB, the company developing the treatment.
