Meet The Biotech Startup Challenging Ozempic With A Fat-Burning Pill That Lets You Keep Eating
Early human data in a statement by Eolo Pharma shows it can burn fat even at rest, without appetite suppression or serious side effects. That breakthrough could reshape global obesity treatment.
Biotech Startup Pioneers First-in-Class Therapies to Treat Obesity and Metabolic Disease
Eolo Pharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on pioneering therapies for obesity and metabolic diseases. The company says it develops first-in-class small-molecule drugs that activate the body's own energy-burning pathways rather than relying on appetite suppression. Its lead candidate, SANA, is the first compound shown to safely activate creatine-dependent thermogenesis in humans, offering a novel approach to resetting metabolic health.
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Headquartered in Delaware with strong scientific roots in South America, Eolo Pharma is a spin-off of the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, a non-profit foundation that promotes scientific and technological research. The company says it is backed by more than a decade of research into metabolic disorders and cardiometabolic complications.
Eolo Pharma's proprietary library of 60 novel chemical entities includes molecules designed to address high-burden, non-communicable diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, hypertension, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.
Eolo Pharma's leadership team includes CEO María Pía Garat, a biotech industry leader with a postgraduate degree from Instituto de Empresa Business School; co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Carlos Escande, a former Mayo Clinic investigator specializing in cardiometabolic disorders; Chief Chemistry Officer Virginia Lopez, a chemist from Uruguay; and Chief Medical Officer Carlos Batthyany, who also serves as head of the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo.
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How SANA Activates Fat Burning Without Appetite Suppression
SANA is a salicylate‑based nitroalkene compound originally developed to target inflammation, Eolo Pharma says. It was repurposed after researchers discovered it stimulates creatine‑dependent thermogenesis in white and brown fat cells.
Unlike glucagon-like peptide‑1 drugs like Ozempic, which reduce hunger, SANA boosts energy expenditure in fat tissue by turning on heat‑producing metabolic pathways at cellular level. According to Eolo Pharma, SANA protected lean mass and reduced fat more than standard salicylate or metformin in preclinical models.
"This is the first time a drug has been shown to pharmacologically activate creatine-based thermogenesis, which could lead to a novel therapeutic approach for obesity in humans," Escande said in the statement. "It opens up an entirely new therapeutic pathway for obesity and metabolic disorders."Weight Loss, Glucose Benefits, and Safety Signals
In a randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled Phase 1a/b clinical trial, participants received single ascending doses or multiple ascending doses of SANA for 15 days. The trial included 17 healthy lean volunteers and 24 individuals with obesity.
According to Eolo Pharma, patients receiving SANA experienced a statistically significant reduction in body weight compared to placebo, along with improvements in fasting glucose and insulin resistance as measured by Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance. No serious adverse events occurred, and only mild headaches and soft stools were reported in some subjects.
A Nature Metabolism study published in June describes SANA as a first‑in‑class small molecule that activates creatine‑dependent thermogenesis in preclinical models and shows safety and early metabolic benefits in a phase 1A/B trial in humans. The authors suggest SANA as a promising therapeutic candidate for obesity, though they note that its efficacy in humans requires further confirmation in larger trials.
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Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information contained herein includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as 'may,' 'will,' 'should,' 'would,' 'expect,' 'plan,' 'believe,' 'intend,' 'look forward,' and other similar expressions among others. These statements relate to future events or to the Company's future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Company's current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, including uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Company's operations, results of operations, growth strategy, and, among other things, liquidity. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at Except as may be required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For further information: 1 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Final Rule: Safety and Effectiveness of Consumer Antiseptic Wash Products. 81 FR 61106. September 6, 2016. 2 European Medicines Agency (EMA). (2020). Questions and answers on benzalkonium chloride used as an excipient in medicinal products for human use [PDF]. EMA. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE NRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
