New fat-melting medication Study suggests that Ozempic and Wegovy don't have any negative side effects.

The same transformation that Ozempic and Wegovy have sparked for thousands of Americans could be sparked by a new weight loss drug, without the unwelcome side effects.

A molecule created by Syracuse University researchers activates the same brain receptors as the two well-known drugs.
It caused obese mice exposed to it to lose 12% of their body weight in just 16 days.
The research team hopes the molecule, known as GEP44, will one day serve as the foundation for a very efficient weight loss therapy with few side effects.
If the team is successful, they will also have a sizable market.
GLP-1 medications like Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro have been flying off the shelves in recent years as many doctors view them as a panacea to the obesity crisis plaguing America.
Due to celebrity endorsements and social media, Ozempic and Wegovy have grown in popularity.
However, recent research indicates that upcoming medications may have fewer side effects.

Experts have cautioned that despite being hailed as one of the most potent pharmaceutical tools to date, it is not a "magic pill" or a panacea.
Trials have shown that users of the fat-burning medication can quickly gain weight back once they stop taking it, and it can result in a number of unpleasant side effects.
Nausea, constipation, and diarrhea are common side effects that users report after taking medication
Obesity and diabetes were the pandemics prior to COVID-19, according to Dr. Robert Doyle, the study's principal investigator from Syracuse.
They are a huge issue, and the future looks grim for them.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40% of Americans are obese and 70% of Americans are overweight.

Additionally, the number of deaths related to obesity-related illnesses like diabetes, Alzheimer's, and heart disease has increased recently.
This made developing a pharmaceutical treatment for obesity a potential moneymaker for well-known pharmaceutical companies.
Semaglutide, a medication for type 2 diabetes that was first marketed under the brand name Ozempic, was a huge success for the Danish pharmaceutical behemoth Novo Nordisk.
The medication, a GLP-1, imitates the effects of the hormone made naturally in the pancreas and stomach.
These hormones tell the brain it doesn't need to eat, which suppresses hunger pangs and appetite.
Additionally, it causes the stomach to empty more slowly and causes the pancreas to secrete more insulin.

As a result, a lot of patients also lose a lot of weight.
Semaglutide was repackaged by Novo as a medication specifically intended to treat obesity as a result of this.
Wegovy, a stronger-dosed replacement for Ozempic, received FDA approval in 2021.
It was so well-liked that it was in short supply for the majority of 2022 as everyone from elite Hollywood stars to average obese Americans competed to obtain it.
Even tech tycoon Elon Mush gave Wegovy credit for his dramatic body transformation from the previous year.
However, the side effects of the medications are severe.
Wegovy users frequently experience symptoms like nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, pain in the stomach, fatigue, and headaches.

As Dr. Doyle noted, "We didn't think you could separate weight loss from nausea and vomiting for a long time because they are linked to the exact same part of the brain."
Dr. Doyle's team tested their peptide against another Novo GLP-1 drug, liraglutide, in their study, which will be presented this week at the American Chemical Society (ACS) spring meeting.
They created a peptide that would activate the brain's GLP-1 receptor and Peptide YY receptors, which, when stimulated, instruct the body to stop eating. A peptide is a molecule that contains multiple amino acids.
They administered GEP44, a recently formed peptide, to one group of mice, and Victoza, a diabetes medication, to another.

The peptide's ability to suppress appetite was demonstrated by the 80 percent weight loss in mice exposed to it.
Victoza-using rodents lost only a third as much weight as the other group over the course of the study.
In addition to its remarkable efficacy, GEP44 was found to have no negative side effects in mice that were injected with it.
The therapies were also demonstrated to lower blood sugar by bringing glucose into muscle tissue, where it can be used as fuel, and by transforming specific pancreatic cells into cells that produce insulin.
This aids in repairing those that diabetes damage.
The symptoms that Novo's drug users experienced were comparable to those that one would anticipate following exposure to a GLP-1.

Dr. Doyle stated that minimizing these side effects may be a key element in determining the viability of this peptide as a key component in a weight loss medication.
80 to 90 percent of those who begin using these drugs stop doing so within a year, he said.
Next, the team wants to test GEP44 in primates to see if it can be used to reduce weight in people.