New weight-loss drug offers health benefits and fewer side effects in trials

Researchers found the drug reduces insulin sensitivity and increases the capacity of the body to burn calories

Experts believe the data could lead to a new treatment for millions of people living with both obesity and type 2 diabetes. Getty Images

A new weight-loss drug that offers a range of health benefits and fewer side effects than injections currently available has been found to help reduce users' appetites and burn calories.

Experts believe the research data could lead to a new treatment for millions of people living with both obesity and type 2 diabetes who do not respond well to current medicines.

Weight-loss drugs based on the hormone GLP-1 benefits millions of people across the world.

These drugs also improve kidney function, reduce the risk of fatal heart attacks, and are linked to protection against conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, but many people stop taking them because of common side effects such as nausea and vomiting. In the new study scientists from the University of Copenhagen describe a powerful new drug candidate that lowers appetite without loss of muscle mass or unpleasant side effects. Unlike treatments that are currently available, the drug improves insulin sensitivity and increases energy expenditure – the capacity of the body to burn calories.

“While GLP-1-based therapies have revolutionised patient care for obesity and type 2 diabetes, safely harnessing energy expenditure and controlling appetite without nausea remain two holy grails in this field," associate professor Zach Gerhart-Hines from the NNF Foundation Centre for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) at the University of Copenhagen said. “By addressing these needs, we believe our discovery will propel current approaches to make more tolerable, effective treatments accessible to millions more individuals.”

In the new study, published in the journal Nature, scientists tested the effect of activating a molecule, a target, called the Neurokinin 2 Receptor (NK2R) in mice. They identified the receptor through genetic screening that suggested it played a role in maintaining energy balance and glucose control.

The researchers found that not only did activating the receptor safely increase calorie-burning, it also lowered appetite without any signs of nausea. Further studies in primates with type 2 diabetes and obesity showed that activating the receptor lowered body weight and reversed their diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol.

"One of the biggest hurdles in drug development is translation between mice and humans," PhD student Frederike Sass from CBMR at the University of Copenhagen, and first author of the study, said. “This is why we were excited that the benefits of NK2R agonism translated to diabetic and obese non-human primates, which represents a big step towards clinical translation.”