A new weight loss pill developed by the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy helped overweight and obese people lose up to 13% of their body weight in three months, an early trial has found.
Experts said that while pills may be cheaper when compared to injectable drugs like semaglutide – of which there is a shortage – more research is needed.
Amycretin mimics the actions of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and amylin, hormones that play a role in reducing blood sugar.
It has been developed by Novo Nordisk, which also makes semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist that is used to treat diabetes and obesity.
The phase one trial of amycretin, led by Novo Nordisk, included adults without diabetes, who had a body mass index (BMI) of between 25 and 39.9, a range considered overweight to obese.
Some 95 people were given a once-daily amycretin pill while 29 were given a placebo.
Three different doses of amycretin were tested on patients, with one group’s dose increased from 1mg to 25mg a day.
Another group’s dose was increased from 3mg to 12mg over 10 days, while the third group started on 3mg, eventually increasing to two doses of 50mg per day by the end of the 12-week period.
Researchers found those on 50mg of amycretin lost 10.4% of their body weight, while those taking two doses of 50mg – the maximum tested – lost 13.1%.
This is compared to an average loss of 1.1% in the placebo group.
Researchers said: “The results underscore the promising potential of amycretin as an anti-obesity medication and may pave the way for a novel patient-centred weight-management option.
“Investigations of amycretin in larger and longer studies are being planned to fully assess its efficacy and safety profile.”
Side effects of amycretin were found to include nausea and vomiting.
An abstract from the trial will be presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Madrid.
Reacting to the findings, Dr Nerys Astbury, associate professor of diet and obesity at the Nuffield Department of Primary Health Care Sciences, University of Oxford, said: “The comparable effects of this drug and associated health outcomes compared with the injectable drugs – which already have market approval – is not known, and requires further investigation.
“With so many already living with obesity, there will be considerable work to treat and care for this group of individuals in the NHS.
“Having a greater range of safe and effective prescription medications opens up the pharmaceutical treatment options for people living with obesity. It is possible that some people might find the oral medications more acceptable than the injectable GLP-1 agonists which are currently available.
“These injectable medications are currently expensive, which raises challenges to a taxpayer-funded health system like the NHS. But increasing the number of pharmacotherapy options available in the market will introduce competition and likely bring down the costs of these classes of medications in the longer-term.”
Naveed Sattar, professor of cardiometabolic medicine and honorary consultant at the University of Glasgow, added: “The more medicines coming forward to treat obesity, the better as this gives more chance to find safe and efficacious medicines, especially tablets that could be more easily available – and cheaper – for the many millions around the world struggling with obesity and its complications.
“This early phase research on a new oral combination is exciting given the speed of weight loss seen.
“However, far larger scale trials will be needed to test such medicines in due course, including its effect on disease outcomes.”
Katie Bareford, senior clinical adviser at Diabetes UK, said weight loss pills could extend treatment options for obese patients.
“Supporting people to lose weight is key to preventing type 2 diabetes and putting type 2 diabetes into remission,” she said.
“Developing oral versions of weight loss medications will extend the treatment options available for some people living with obesity or overweight who could be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes or those who already have the condition.
“It’s our view that people should be supported to find an approach to weight management that is most appropriate for them – whether that involves medication, changes to diet or bariatric surgery with the wraparound support of healthcare professionals.”
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