Startup Creates Pill That Makes Fat Cells Burn Calories While You're at Rest
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
In the coming years, losing weight might be as simple as taking a pill.
A biotech startup based in Uruguay has successfully completed early-stage human trials for a first-in-class drug that targets fat cells to burn more calories, even while the body is at rest.
Developed by Eolo Pharma, the compound—known as SANA—could be a crucial breakthrough in metabolic therapy.
Unlike traditional obesity drugs that suppress appetite, SANA stimulates energy expenditure in fat tissue.
In the June 2025 edition of Nature Metabolism, researchers reported that the drug led to reduced body mass index (BMI) and improved blood glucose levels in just 15 days, with no serious side effects observed.
Stock image of someone standing on weighing scales.
Stock image of someone standing on weighing scales.
Photo by Liudmila Chernetska / Getty Images
Why It Matters
Obesity and type 2 diabetes continue to strain healthcare systems worldwide. Current treatments, like GLP-1 agonists, offer weight loss by reducing appetite but have been linked to gastrointestinal side effects.
SANA, by contrast, works by improving the body's ability to burn energy through a novel mechanism that activates creatine-dependent thermogenesis in fat tissue.
"Instead of telling the body to eat less, this drug tells the body to burn more," Carlos Escande, a researcher at the Institut Pasteur and a founding member of Eolo Pharma, said in a press release.
"It opens a completely new therapeutic pathway for obesity and metabolic disorders."
What To Know
The phase 1A/B clinical trial was conducted in healthy lean volunteers and individuals with overweight or obesity.
Over 15 days, participants receiving SANA at the highest dose (200 mg twice daily) experienced a weight reduction of up to 3% and improvements in insulin sensitivity.
According to the trial's registry, no severe adverse events occurred, and only minor side effects such as headache and soft stools were reported.
According to the release, SANA is the first drug developed entirely within Uruguay to reach this stage of testing.
In an email to Newsweek, Escande explained, "There were two main drivers of our work. First, the fact that when we started our research in 2014, there were no available treatments, and we were convinced that our molecules could provide an answer.
"Second, we were aware that developing a drug from South America was a challenge by itself. There are no records of this as far as we know.
"This challenge gave us the inspiration to follow this dream, to try to defeat the odds that were against us. The rest is a combination of extraordinary teamwork, good science and perseverance."
What People Are Saying
Escande told Newsweek that the accomplishment was a matter of pride for their international team: "The main reason for this feeling is that Uruguay—as well as many other countries in South America, especially Brazil and Argentina—have a strong scientific community that is capable of generating high-quality science.
"However, we still have a lot of work to do in terms of adding value to our knowledge. Indeed, the vast majority of our income comes from commodity exports.
"We believe that Eolo and the development of MVD1 might be a proof of concept that we are capable of more, and that the global industry should start paying attention to our region."
What's Next
The drug's success in phase 1 trials has paved the way for a broader phase II trial, scheduled to begin by the end of 2025.
That study will include more participants and incorporate patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
If future trials confirm the results, SANA could become the first clinically approved drug to induce thermogenesis in humans by activating the creatine cycle, offering a novel treatment for a global epidemic with few sustainable solutions.
"Our dream is that MVD1 will, sooner or later, be able to reach the patients that may need it," Escande told Newsweek.
"The path that we have ahead of us is still challenging, and [there is] no doubt that we will need to partner with global companies to achieve our final goal. We are confident that we will be able to make it."
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