Weekly injection promises to curb your appetite

A diet drug which curbs your appetite and cuts the amount of calories you consume by 13 per cent could be available within a few years. Results from the first tests on human volunteers showed they ate less food after a single dose of the drug – cutting out an average of 200 calories from a heavy meal. And because the treatment combines two naturally occurring hormones that lower blood sugar levels and act as appetite suppressants, the drug has no side effects. Although the drug is currently given as an infusion, scientists claim it could be taken as a once-weekly jab. Initially it would be available on prescription for overweight people at risk of diabetes, as it enhances the release of insulin as well as helping with weight loss.  The research team led by Professor Stephen Bloom, of Imperial College, London, think it will be ready for general use by 2020. Their findings will be presented today at the Society for Endocrinology’s annual conference in Harrogate. Professor Bloom described the drug as a ‘very significant advance’. He added: “We are programmed to eat more in the summer to deal with the famine of winter, but we now do this all year round.” “We have to reset our appetite control and this experiment gave better results than we had expected.” The combined therapy uses the hormones glucagon and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) which play key roles in regulating blood sugar levels. Glucagon works in opposition to insulin. It prevents the storage of glucose in fat deposits and the liver, raising blood sugar levels. GLP-1 stimulates the release of insulin to lower blood sugar and also acts on the brain to reduce appetite. Tests on animals have already shown “promising findings”, but the new study is the first to try the treatment on humans. Professor Bloom said: “The safety results are good, but you might expect this as we’re using hormones naturally produced by the body with a minor alteration. “ “The hormones glucagon and GLP-1 are both used to control blood sugar and metabolism, so there is great interest in utilising them to find new treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes.” “We found that volunteers in this small study treated with a glucagon and GLP-1 combination consumed significantly less food – 13 per cent.” “It is a big reduction in food intake by anyone’s standards, but our experiment is only an appetiser.” “An effective future treatment will need to suppress appetite in the long term, so next we will aim to establish whether the effects can be sustained to lead to real weight loss.” He hopes the drug could be available in seven to nine years, and said a company is being created to help its development. Despite its impressive results, Professor Bloom expects the drug to be ‘affordable’ at around £3,000 a year. He said: “It’s on the way. We’ll be doing clinical trials next year.”