DIET DRUGS IN THE PIPELINE
There are new weight-loss drugs on the horizon including another effective GLP-1 agonist (like liraglutide) called Rybelsus (generic name, semaglutide). This is already approved here as a diabetes drug in the form of a 1mg pill, and as a weekly injection (brand name Ozempic) to control blood sugar.
Last month, it was approved in the US as a higher dose injection under the brand name Wegovy for weight loss. It is currently being assessed as a weight-loss treatment, with a decision expected here next year.
The latest research on semaglutide, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February, found it could help some obese people lose 20 per cent or more of their body weight.
The average participant in the 68-week trial lost 15.3kg (nearly 3st); this was accompanied by reductions in risk factors for heart disease and type 2 diabetes, such as blood fat and blood sugar levels.
Rachel Batterham, a professor of obesity, diabetes and endocrinology at University College London, one of the principal authors on the paper which involved almost 2,000 trial participants in 16 countries said: ‘Three quarters of people who received semaglutide (at the 2.4mg weekly dose) 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 game-changer. For the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery,’ she added.
However, it works only in around one third of people and possible side-effects include mild to moderate nausea and diarrhoea. Furthermore the benefits stop when the patient stops taking it.
Another drug undergoing clinical trials is tirzepatide, a weekly injection which targets the GLP appetite control hormone and another hormone (called glucose dependent insulino-tropic polypeptide) that slows down emptying of the stomach and makes you feel fuller for longer. Studies found patients lost 12lb over 12 weeks.
Simon Capewell, a professor of public health, adds a note of caution though, one that sounds familiar.
‘The drugs have a role, but that role should not be overstated,’ he insists.
‘They are more effective if used as part of a comprehensive weight loss regimen with a patient . . . getting psychological support as well as advice about diet and exercise.’