Anti-obesity drug hailed as new way to battle diabetes

AN ANTI-OBESITY drug could soon be used to treat diabetes after scientists discovered it helps to keep blood glucose in check.

British researchers discovered that a side-effect of the drug, used to suppress the appetite, fights Type 2 diabetes by activating a trigger in the brain.

Experts last night said the findings could provide a new treatment pathway for the deadly disease.

More than four million Britons have diabetes and 12 million more are at risk of developing it.

It is caused when the body fails to produce enough insulin or the body’s cells fail to react to insulin – meaning that glucose remains in the blood rather than being used as fuel for energy.

It can lead to blindness, amputation of limbs, heart disease and stroke.

The study focused on the drug Lorcaserin, marketed as Lorqess in Britain and prescribed to help patients to lose weight by suppressing appetite.

Scientists from Aberdeen and Cambridge universites in Britain, and Michigan university in the US, discovered it reduces glucose levels in the body and increases sensitivity to insulin.

The drug acts by modifying the activity of neurones that help to regulate blood glucose levels.

Professor Lora Heisler, from Aberdeen’s Rowett Institute, said: “Lorcaserin targets important brain hormones called proopiomelanocortin (POMC) peptides, which are responsible for regulating appetite.

Desperately

“So as well as sending messages telling us we are full, leading to weight loss, the POMC hormones also activate a different brain circuit that helps keep our blood glucose in check.”

Scientists are particularly excited about the research because new treatment options are desperately needed to help with the “ticking timebomb” spiralling diabetes cases.

Figures show the diabetes rate in people aged 40 to 60 has doubled as obesity soars.

Diabetes UK said the number of people with the condition is expected to reach five million by 2025, while the proportion of the NHS budget spent on diabetes is projected to rise to 17 per cent within a generation.

Kotryna Temcinaite, research communications officer at Diabetes UK, said: “We look forward to more research exploring whether the effects in people mirror those found in the research on mice.

“If successful, this could offer another alternative to currently available treatments.”

Oliver Jelley, editor of The Diabetes Times, said: “This research highlights a potential therapy worth exploring but this should not come at the expense of recommending diet and exercise as a first port of call in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.”

The study was published in the journal Molecular Metabolism. of