‘Holy grail’ diet pill burns fat without affecting appetite or muscle mass unlike weight loss jabs
Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
New weight loss pill could burn fat without usual jab side effects
- A new experimental diet pill for type 2 diabetes and obesity works by triggering muscle metabolism to burn fat, offering a different approach to existing GLP-1 injections.
- Unlike current weight loss jabs, this tablet-form drug aims to avoid common side effects such as gastrointestinal issues, loss of appetite, and reduced muscle mass.
- Initial animal studies and a small human clinical trial involving 48 healthy participants and 25 people with type 2 diabetes have shown the drug is well-tolerated and effective in controlling blood sugar and improving body composition.
- Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University developed the drug, a modified beta-2 agonist, to specifically target muscles without overstimulating the heart.
- The next phase involves a larger clinical study planned by Atrogi AB, the company developing the treatment, to further assess its efficacy and safety.