MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH WITH OBESITY DRUG

About one-third (35 per cent) of the 2000 people in 16 countries who took a new drug for treating obesity lost more than one-fifth of their total body weight, according to a major study by the University College London. The drug, semaglutide, works by hijacking the brain’s appetite regulating system, leading to reduced hunger and calorie intake. Rachel Batterham, Professor of Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology, who led the research says, “The findings of this study represent a major breakthrough for improving the health of people with obesity. 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 game changer.”