New ‘Ozempic pill' is better than ‘skinny jabs' and helps you lose weight even faster, study suggests
The new weight loss medication, which can also be offered by injection, can help patients lose a significant amount of weight.
An early study found that patients who received amycretin as a weekly jab lost 24% of their body weight after 36 weeks of treatment.
But initial trials assessing a tablet form of the jab saw promising results with patients losing an average 13% of bodyweight in just three months.
This suggests the drug leads to greater weight loss than Wegovy, the 'sister jab' of Ozempic.
Such treatments have been called transformative by NHS leaders.
It's estimated that around 1.5 million Brits currently receive weight loss jabs through specialist weight loss services or private prescriptions.
But weight pills offer a new hope to millions looking to lose weight as the injections put additional pressure on an overstretched NHS.
However, further clinical trials are needed before the treatment can be made available in the UK.
This could take several years and there's no guarantee that regulators will approve the use of the drug.
Amycretin, made by Novo Nordisk, contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy and helps control blood sugar and appetite.
It targets specific receptors in the body - the GLP-1 and amylin receptors - helping you feel full and stops overeating.
An early trial published in The Lancet found that 125 adults taking weekly injections containing higher doses of the drug lost nearly a quarter of their body weight after 36 weeks.
It also showed signs of improving blood sugar levels.
However, there were some mild to moderate side effects including nausea and vomiting but these were resolved by the end of the treatment.
Experts said that the medicine appeared "safe and tolerable" but further studies were needed to fully assess the drug.
But a second trial, also published in The Lancet, assessed the drug in tablet form in 144 people.
Those taking the highest dose of 100mg lost 13% of their body weight over four months.
Weight Loss Jabs - Pros vs Cons
The authors wrote: "Amycretin effectively lowered body weight and improved metabolic and glycaemic parameters in people who were overweight or obese.
"Longer studies with more participants are warranted for evaluation of the safety and efficacy of amycretin in individuals living with obesity and type 2 diabetes, and to optimise the dosing regimen."
As with the first trial, there were also some mild to moderate side effects including loss of appetite and similar gastrointestinal issues.
It comes as a separate study examined the effects of the weight-loss jab, Wegovy, at higher doses.
The researchers found that giving patients 7.2mg of Wegovy once a week led to an average weight loss of 21%, with a third of participants losing 25% of their body weight over 72 weeks.
The studies were also presented to the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago.
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