Imagine shedding weight while sitting quietly watching TV, even without cutting calories. A pioneering pill called SANA, created by Uruguayan startup Eolo Pharma, could one day make that possible.
Early human data in a statement by Eolo Pharma shows it can burn fat even at rest, without appetite suppression or serious side effects. That breakthrough could reshape global obesity treatment.
Biotech Startup Pioneers First-in-Class Therapies to Treat Obesity and Metabolic Disease
Eolo Pharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on pioneering therapies for obesity and metabolic diseases. The company says it develops first-in-class small-molecule drugs that activate the body's own energy-burning pathways rather than relying on appetite suppression. Its lead candidate, SANA, is the first compound shown to safely activate creatine-dependent thermogenesis in humans, offering a novel approach to resetting metabolic health.
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Headquartered in Delaware with strong scientific roots in South America, Eolo Pharma is a spin-off of the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, a non-profit foundation that promotes scientific and technological research. The company says it is backed by more than a decade of research into metabolic disorders and cardiometabolic complications.
Eolo Pharma’s proprietary library of 60 novel chemical entities includes molecules designed to address high-burden, non-communicable diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, hypertension, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.
Eolo Pharma's leadership team includes CEO María Pía Garat, a biotech industry leader with a postgraduate degree from Instituto de Empresa Business School; co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Carlos Escande, a former Mayo Clinic investigator specializing in cardiometabolic disorders; Chief Chemistry Officer Virginia Lopez, a chemist from Uruguay; and Chief Medical Officer Carlos Batthyany, who also serves as head of the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo.
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How SANA Activates Fat Burning Without Appetite Suppression
SANA is a salicylate‑based nitroalkene compound originally developed to target inflammation, Eolo Pharma says. It was repurposed after researchers discovered it stimulates creatine‑dependent thermogenesis in white and brown fat cells.
Unlike glucagon-like peptide‑1 drugs like Ozempic, which reduce hunger, SANA boosts energy expenditure in fat tissue by turning on heat‑producing metabolic pathways at cellular level. According to Eolo Pharma, SANA protected lean mass and reduced fat more than standard salicylate or metformin in preclinical models.
"This is the first time a drug has been shown to pharmacologically activate creatine-based thermogenesis, which could lead to a novel therapeutic approach for obesity in humans," Escande said in the statement. "It opens up an entirely new therapeutic pathway for obesity and metabolic disorders."
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Weight Loss, Glucose Benefits, and Safety Signals
In a randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled Phase 1a/b clinical trial, participants received single ascending doses or multiple ascending doses of SANA for 15 days. The trial included 17 healthy lean volunteers and 24 individuals with obesity.
According to Eolo Pharma, patients receiving SANA experienced a statistically significant reduction in body weight compared to placebo, along with improvements in fasting glucose and insulin resistance as measured by Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance. No serious adverse events occurred, and only mild headaches and soft stools were reported in some subjects.
A Nature Metabolism study published in June describes SANA as a first‑in‑class small molecule that activates creatine‑dependent thermogenesis in preclinical models and shows safety and early metabolic benefits in a phase 1A/B trial in humans. The authors suggest SANA as a promising therapeutic candidate for obesity, though they note that its efficacy in humans requires further confirmation in larger trials.
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