Tested in phase 2, a drug developed by the Eli Lilly laboratory helped people lose 15 % of their body weight after 36 weeks of treatment according to a publication of the New England Journal of Medicine. These preliminary results were presented at the Conference of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego
Proven weight loss with oral treatment
According to the study, the medication was tested on 272 patients with an average initial body weight of 108.7 kilograms. The trial recruited obese patients, measured by a body mass index of 30 or more, or overweight, with a BMI of at least 27, and a health problem related to weight.
Four doses ranging from 12 to 45 milligrams were tested compared to placebo. Participants also received advice on food and exercise. Weight loss at 36 weeks varied from 9.4% to 14.7%, compared to 2.3% on placebo, according to results.
Drug participants also had positive effects on triglyceride and cholesterol levels, as well as systolic blood pressure. Side effects were the same as for Wegovy or Ozempic, including nausea, constipation, vomiting and diarrhea.
Hormone imitator treatment is launched
OrForglipron, which composes the Eli Lilly pill, is part of a new group of experimental drugs that targets the same target, Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 or GLP-1 receptors, but in the form of a daily pill. They are called hormone imitators. Thus orforglipron as well as the retactide, another substance currently tested, both imitate the hormones produced by the intestine mucosa in response to certain nutrients. These hormones help slow the passage of food in the digestive tract and reduce appetite by acting on brain receptors.
Antidiabetics diverted from their use
Similar drugs, the trizepatid (marketed under the name of Mounjaro) and the semaglutide, sold under the name of Ozempic were first created to fight against diabetes, weight loss being a “welcome secondary advantage”. Their use has been diverted for several months to lose weight. At the end of 2022, the manufacturer of the OZEMPIC reported supply difficulties for diabetic patients because of a misuse of use. At the beginning of March, the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines set up a vigilance system by recalling the conditions of authorization to market the OZEMPIC (Treatment of type 2 diabetes insufficiently controlled, in addition to a diet and a physical activity, in monotherapy when metformin is inappropriate or in combination with other drugs against diabetes of type 2). However, it believed that the misuse cases remained limited: “Thus, on the basis of reimbursement data alone, the potential misuse for the Ozempic specialty is estimated at around 1%“.
A drug awaiting marketing
Only the Wegovy (also composed of sematuglid but to another dosage) has an indication in the treatment of the most severe obesity (with a body mass index at 40 kg/m2) associated with complications. It is accessible in France as part of early access pending marketing (it cannot therefore, unlike antidiabetics, be diverted from its use).
But these different drugs require weekly injections, which many people find unpleasant. In addition, drugs both belong to a group of molecules called peptides, whose production is expensive and requires a lot of labor. This would not be the case with Eli Lilly’s medication which uses an easy to produce and encapsulate molecule in a pill. It would thus be accessible to a broader population.
Is the hormonal path the remedy for obesity?
Consulted on the subject, Dr. Arnaud Cocaul Médecin Nutritioniste Practician sees these numerous studies on these new drugs with a very good eye.
“Is it the solution of tomorrow for weight loss? We can ask ourselves the question, but on the medical side, we are very happy that there are drugs that arrive on the market for health and weight issues. So far, obesity has suffered from a lack of dedicated drugs. Today, we have regular studies on these substances that resemble digestive hormones, and which appear as new hopes on the management of obesity Surgery.
As for the diversion of some of these molecules by people who wish to lose a few pounds, the nutritionist hopes that the regulations that will accompany these newcomers, will limit abuses: “Influencers who launched this fashion and those doctors who are accomplices are a scandal. But it is on the order of doctors or health authorities and the government to take stock and react to close the account of these people. These treatments should be able to help people who need them. “