"Cross border" antidiabetic drugs reduce weight, and the popularity of Anti-obesity medication increases

The most exciting news in the field of health care and peptide drugs recently is the latest achievements of Lilly on GLP-1 related Anti-obesity medication. This breakthrough discovery has brought good news to those who face weight related problems.

At the annual meeting of the American diabetes Association held in San Diego, California, USA, from June 23 to 26, 2023, Eli Lilly and Company announced the research results of its three Anti-obesity medication: Tirzepatide (Mounjaro), Orforglipron, and Restarutide.

Tirzepatide is an injectable drug, targeting GLP-1 (Glucagon like peptide 1) and GIP (glucose dependent insulin polypeptide)

Orforglipron is only targeted at GLP-1, but it is a tablet, so it can be taken orally. At the same time, the cost is also lower, and the future price may be lower.

Retatrutide is also an injection therapy, targeting three hormones, GLP-1, GIP and GCGR (Glucagon), which has the strongest weight loss effect so far.

Now let's introduce the relevant content to everyone

background

GLP-1 hormone, a specific GLP-1 receptor that binds to and acts on various tissues, including the pancreas. After binding, GLP-1 hormone can stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin. In turn, insulin helps your body's cells absorb sugar from the blood, eventually lowering blood sugar levels.

GLP-1 drugs act by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone in the human body. When you take GLP-1 medication, it mainly works in three ways:

1. Stimulate the pancreas to secrete insulin after eating.

2. Inhibits the release of Glucagon. Glucagon stimulates the liver to release sugar stored in the blood.

3. By reducing the rate of gastric emptying after eating, the absorption of glucose into the blood is slowed down, thereby making the user feel more satisfied or prolonging the feeling of fullness after meals.

Drugs based on GLP-1 were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, but researchers found that people taking these drugs would also lose weight significantly, so pharmaceutical companies including Novo Nordisk and Lilly quickly turned to research and applied for approval of different doses of drugs as weight loss drugs. Cells throughout the human body have receptors that recognize GLP-1, including the gut and brain; These drugs can slow down the emptying of gastric contents, promote satiety, and regulate appetite by signaling to the brain that the body has already consumed enough calories, ultimately helping to lose weight.

Specific drugs

In May 2022, Tirzepatide was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In view of the data in these studies that showed that people taking this drug also lost weight, Eli Lilly and Company began to study it as a weight loss treatment drug in additional trials. At the American diabetes Association meeting in 2022, the data submitted by the company showed that the drug could reduce weight by up to 22%; Based on this, the company applied to the FDA for approval of the drug as an obesity treatment drug in 2022, and it is expected that the FDA will make a decision before the end of this year.

Although Tirzepatide may be effective, for some patients, it may not be a practical choice as it requires self injection once a week. Injectable drugs are usually more expensive than pills or tablets, and due to their need to be distributed in sterile equipment, their usage conditions are also more stringent. Therefore, pharmaceutical companies like Lilly have been exploring oral forms and developed oral drugs such as Orforglipron. Rybelsus, the only oral drug based on glp-1, was approved to treat type 2 diabetes, not obesity. When Orforglipron goes public in the future, its approval specifically for weight loss will be a blessing for the obese population.

The test data submitted by Eli Lilly and Company shows that its daily tablet orforglipron has similar weight loss effect to the GLP-1 injection currently approved for the treatment of obesity. This study, also published in the New England Journal of Medicine, included more than 270 experimental populations with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, or individuals with a BMI of 27 or higher, as well as other risk factors related to overweight, such as hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, or sleep apnea. Volunteers were randomly assigned to take one of four different doses once a day for nine months, or to take a placebo, and were followed up for two weeks after completing treatment. At the end of the study, patients taking orforglipron lost 9% to 14% of their weight, while patients taking placebo lost 2% of their weight.

Similarly, in the clinical trial of Retarutide, volunteers were randomly assigned to take one of four different doses, with a weekly dose of 12mg and a 48 week treatment period achieving 24.2% weight loss, which is the best drug weight loss achieved so far.

limit

The common side effects of GLP-1 related drugs are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The user may also feel dizzy, slightly faster heart rate, infection, headache, and stomach discomfort. It is equally important to note that GLP-1 drugs increase satiety; If you continue to eat while feeling full, it may cause temporary mild nausea. Due to the fact that most GLP-1 drugs are injected subcutaneously, itching and redness at the injection site may occur. Meanwhile, if there is a family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine tumors, or acute pancreatitis, the use of GLP-1 drugs should be avoided. If the user has severe allergic reactions to GLP-1 drugs or is pregnant, they should avoid taking such drugs. If the user has serious gastrointestinal diseases, such as gastroparesis and Inflammatory bowel disease, GLP-1 should not be taken.

last

Nowadays, the GLP-1 drug market is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, and its popularity has swept the world. In this weight loss battle, many pharmaceutical companies are competing for this track. Only products that balance compliance and efficacy can achieve strategic heights. With the development of drugs, dual target, multi target, long-acting formulations, and oral formulations will become the mainstream of future development. There is no final conclusion on how the competition will be in the future. If you want to have relevant discussions, you can add customer service WeChat to invite you to join the group for communication.

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