Weight loss pill set to rival injections after promising studies
Researchers say amycretin, which can be offered by injection or tablet, helped patients lose a significant amount of weight in the first trials.
Those who received higher doses of amycretin as a weekly jab lost 24.3 per cent of their body weight after 36 weeks of treatment, while patients who took daily tablets lost an average of 13.1 per cent of their body weight after 12 weeks.
While weight loss jabs have been hailed as transformative by NHS leaders, injections come with additional work for over-stretched health services, so tablet forms of medication may offer a new hope for the millions of people looking to lose weight.
It has been estimated that around 1.5 million Britons are having weight loss jabs, which have been either prescribed through specialist weight loss services or private prescriptions.
GPs will be able to dish out jabs from next week.
Amycretin, made by Novo Nordisk, helps to control blood sugar and appetite by targeting two specific receptors in the body – GLP-1 and the amylin receptor.
An early trial in 125 adults testing weekly injections of amycretin, which has been published in The Lancet, found that those taking the highest dosage (60mg) lost 24.3 per cent after 36 weeks of treatment. It also showed signs of improving blood sugar levels.
Side effects included nausea and vomiting, and were mostly mild to moderate and resolved by the end of treatment.
'These phase 1b/2a data support the potential of once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin as a therapeutic for people living with overweight or obesity,' the authors wrote.
'Amycretin appeared safe and tolerable, and there were significant reductions in body weight after 36 weeks of treatment.'
The second early trial, published in the same journal, assessed amycretin in tablet form in 144 people over 12 weeks.
There were mild to moderate side effects including loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.
Researchers found that people taking the highest dose of 100mg per day, lost 13.1 per cent of their body weight over four months.
The authors wrote: 'Amycretin effectively lowered body weight and improved metabolic and glycaemic parameters in people with overweight or obesity.
'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.'
The studies were also presented at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, in the US.
It comes as a separate study, which was published at the same meeting, examined the effects of weight loss jab Wegovy at higher doses.
Researchers found that giving patients 7.2mg of Wegovy, also known as semaglutide, once a week led to an average weight loss of 20.7 per cent, with a third of participants losing 25 per cent or more of their body weight after 72 weeks.
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