Researchers have developed a new drug that works by hijacking the body's own appetite regulating system in the brain leading to reduced hunger and calorie intake.
The findings are being hailed as a "gamechanger" for improving the health of people with obesity and could play a major part in helping the UK to reduce the impact of diseases, such as COVID-19.
One third (35 per cent) of people who took a new drug for treating obesity lost more than one-fifth (greater than or equal to 20 per cent) of their total body weight, according to a major global study involving University College London (UCL) team.
Rachel Batterham, Professor of Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology who leads the Centre for Obesity Research at UCL and the UCLH Centre for Weight Management, is one of the principal authors on the paper which involved almost 2,000 people in 16 countries.
With evidence from this trial, the drug named semaglutide has been submitted for regulatory approval as a treatment for obesity to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
also read
- BMI does not exactly measure total body fat content, finds study
- Niti studying proposal to tax foods high in sugar, salt to tackle obesity
- Hormone found to switch off appetite could help treat obesity
- Undergoing bariatric surgery before diabetes onset leads to greater weight loss: Study
- Keto diet may lead to flu-like symptoms initially: Study
"The findings of this study represent a major breakthrough for improving the health of people with obesity,” said Batterham.
“Three quarters of people who received semaglutide 2.4mg lost more than 10 per cent of their body weight and more than one-third lost more than 20 per cent. No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss—this really is a gamechanger. For the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery."
"The impact of obesity on health has been brought into sharp focus by COVID-19 where obesity markedly increases the risk of dying from the virus, as well as increasing the risk of many life-limiting serious diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, liver disease and certain types of cancers. This drug could have major implications for UK health policy for years to come."
The average participant in the trial lost 15.3kg (nearly 3 stone); this was accompanied by reductions in risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, such as waist circumference, blood fats, blood sugar and blood pressure and reported improvements in their overall quality of life.
"This is a significant advance in the treatment of obesity. Semaglutide is already approved and used clinically at a lower dose for treatment of diabetes, so as doctors we are already familiar with its use,” said Prof. John Wilding (University of Liverpool), the trial's UK Chief Investigator.
Those who had taken semaglutide also saw reductions in risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, such as waist circumference, blood fats, blood sugar and blood pressure and reported improvements in their overall quality of life.
Semaglutide is clinically approved to be used for patients with type 2 diabetes, though is typically prescribed in much lower doses of 1mg.
The drug possesses a compound structurally similar to (and mimics) the human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone, which is released into the blood from the gut after meals. GLP-1 induces weight loss by reducing hunger, increasing feelings of fullness and thereby helping people eat less and reduce their calorie intake.
While the STEP study has been through Phase I and II trials, assessing the 2.4mg doses for safety, in the Phase III trial some participants reported side effects from the drug including mild-to-moderate nausea and diarrhoea that were transient and generally resolved without permanent discontinuation from the study.
The study has been published in the New England Journal for Medicine.
