Amylin weight-loss drug data presented in Milan — TIME
At the annual congress of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan, Italy, researchers presented study results on a new group of injectable weight-loss drugs — amylin-based treatments. As TIME reports, these hormones may become an alternative or addition to drugs that mimic GLP-1 and could potentially cause fewer severe gastrointestinal side effects.
Amylin hormones suppress appetite signals in the brain and affect gastric emptying. They act through cellular receptors different from those of GLP-1 and other incretins. Side effects of GLP-1 drugs, including nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps, are among the reasons why about 40% of people stop taking them within a year.
Company study data
Novo Nordisk presented data on CagriSema, a weekly injectable drug combining semaglutide and the amylin analogue cagrilintide. Participants with overweight or obesity who received the drug lost 22.4% of their initial body weight over a year; the study used a placebo group for comparison.
The company also reported that functional MRI recorded changes in brain responses to food among patients using CagriSema. In people with type 2 diabetes, the drug reduced the amount of fat in the liver and pancreas. Novo Nordisk also has early study data indicating that CagriSema may reduce neuropathic pain in patients with type 2 diabetes.
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Eli Lilly presented results from a trial of EloraTZP, a combination of tirzepatide and eloralintide, an amylin analogue. Participants with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes lost an average of 23% of their initial body weight in nearly a year, while the group receiving tirzepatide alone lost 14.8%. The combination also reduced the A1C measure, which is used to assess diabetes control, more strongly.
Fewer side effects
Danish biotechnology company Zealand Pharmaceuticals released data from a study of the drug petrelintide, published on September 29 in The Lancet. People with overweight or obesity without diabetes who received this weekly drug lost an average of 10% of their body weight, while the figure in the placebo group was 1.7%. Even at the highest doses, the incidence of side effects was similar to that in the placebo group.
University of Alabama professor Timothy Garvey, who led the petrelintide trial, noted that amylin drugs may still cause nausea, but its incidence was less than half the rate usually recorded in GLP-1 studies. Novo Nordisk has already submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval of CagriSema to treat overweight and obesity in people without diabetes. A decision is expected by the end of the year, while the other drugs are at earlier stages of clinical research.
