A new, better Ozempic?
Scientists from the University of Copenhagen say they have developed a drug that decreases appetite while increasing calorie burning — without any signs of nausea.
“While GLP-1-based therapies have revolutionized patient care for obesity and Type 2 diabetes, safely harnessing energy expenditure and controlling appetite without nausea remain two holy grails in this field,” said Zach Gerhart-Hines from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen.
Ozempic is part of a class of diabetes and obesity drugs that mimic the GLP-1 hormone the body naturally produces after eating, suppressing appetite and stimulating weight loss.
The University of Copenhagen scientists — funded by Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk — wanted to see if they could create medication that curbs appetite and enhances calorie burning.
They explored more than 380 G protein-coupled receptors — which receive signals from hormones and other stimuli to activate proteins, triggering a cellular reaction in the body — and ranked them based on their association with HbA1c, a major indicator of blood sugar regulation and diabetes progression.
The researchers think they found their answer in the neurokinin 2 receptor (NK2R) after uncovering its genetic links to obesity and blood sugar control.
NK2R has been studied for its role in the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system, but the study authors believe it has not previously been linked to blood sugar regulation or cardiometabolic health.
The University of Copenhagen researchers say scientists have not been able to effectively utilize the signaling pathway of NK2R because its natural activator quickly breaks down in the body and can also bind to other receptors besides NK2R, making it difficult to exploit with drugs.
So they developed selective, long-acting NK2R agonists, finding that they increased calorie burning and lowered appetite in mice without any signs of nausea.
In diabetic, obese macaques, NK2R activation significantly decreased body weight, blood sugar, harmful triglycerides and cholesterol while improving insulin sensitivity.
“One of the biggest hurdles in drug development is translation between mice and humans,” said study author Frederike Sass. “This is why we were excited that the benefits of NK2R agonism translated to diabetic and obese nonhuman primates, which represents a big step towards clinical translation.”
The once-weekly injection still has a long way to go before it’s in consumer hands. Gerhart-Hines told The Post that his team plans to start clinical trials within the next year. It would most likely be five or six years before the drug was available to the public.
The study findings — published Wednesday in Nature — follow a recent survey that found that about 12% of US adults have used a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic or Mounjaro.
What’s concerning physicians is that an estimated 50% to 75% of people who start taking GLP-1 drugs stop using them within a year. Some people have reported cost and side effects such as nausea as factors.
Others quit because they achieved their weight loss goals — though it’s common to regain weight when you cease taking the drugs.
Northwestern Medicine cardiologist Dr. Sadiya Khan is among those calling for more research into ways to support long-term use.
“The staggeringly high discontinuation rates of GLP-1 [drugs] should raise alarms for clinicians, policymakers and public health experts,” Khan said Wednesday.
