New oral drug shows promise for type 2 diabetes and obesity without side effects

New oral drug shows promise for type 2 diabetes and obesity without side effects

Lower blood sugar and increased fat burning - without negatively affecting appetite or muscle mass. These are some of the most promising effects of a new potential drug treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a new study published in the journalcellby researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University.

The new drug, taken in tablet form, has a completely different mechanism of action than well-known GLP-1-based drugs such as Ozempic, which is administered via injections. GLP-1 drugs affect hunger via signals between the gut and brain, but they often have side effects such as loss of appetite, reduced muscle mass, and gastrointestinal problems.

The new substance instead activates the metabolism in skeletal muscle. In animal studies, the treatment has shown good effects on both blood sugar control and body composition, but without the side effects associated with today's GLP-1-based medications.

An initial phase I clinical trial involving 48 healthy volunteers and 25 people with type 2 diabetes shows that people also tolerate the treatment well.

Our results suggest a future where we can improve metabolic health without losing muscle mass. Muscle is important in both type 2 diabetes and obesity, and muscle mass also directly correlates with life expectancy. “

Tore Bengtsson, one of the researchers behind the study, professor at the Department of Molecular Bioscience, Daser Gren Institute, Stockholm University

The drug substance is based on a molecule A type of β2 agonist that the researchers developed in a laboratory. The molecule can activate key signaling pathways in the body in new ways, positively affecting muscles, without overstimulating the heart, which is a known problem with β2 agonists.

"This drug represents a completely new type of treatment and has the potential to be of great importance for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Our substance appears to promote healthy weight loss and, in addition, patients do not need to take injections," says Shane C. Wright, assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology on Karolinska's study, which is one of the has research studies behind it.

This new type of drug not only works on its own, but can also work in combination with GLP-1 thanks to their different mechanisms of action.

“This makes them valuable both as a standalone treatment and in combination with GLP-1 drugs,” says Shane C. Wright.

The next step is a larger Phase II clinical trial planned by Atrogi AB, the company developing the treatment. The aim of the study is to see whether the same positive effects occur in preclinical models in people with type 2 diabetes or obesity.

The study is the result of close collaboration with Professor Volker M. Lauschke and other researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm University and Uppsala University in Sweden, the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Monash University and the University of Queensland in Australia. The research was funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Society for Medical Research and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, among others.

Some of the authors of the article are affiliated with and/or own Atrogi AB, which funded the clinical trial. Tore Bengtsson is the founder and chief scientific officer at Atrogi AB, who further developed the drug candidate and, together with a co-author, applied for patents for the substances examined in the study. Several other corporate connections are reported; You can find more detailed information in the study.

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