Weight loss injections could usher in a "golden age" of medicine that could increase the number of people in the UK and around the world living longer than average, according to experts.
These injections, which include drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy, were originally developed to combat obesity.
But they have been found to have a number of other benefits, including delaying age-related diseases and halving the risk of heart attacks.
Experts have found that these drugs, called GLP-1 agonists, target the "fundamental biology" of chronic diseases, meaning they could be given to millions more patients even if they are at a healthy weight.
Doctors have declared that these injections mark the beginning of a "golden age" in medicine.
A study—presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga with the participation of 17,000 patients—found that the medications halved deaths from strokes and heart attacks.
Experts now suggest that up to half of Britons could benefit from these injections to "live longer and healthier".
Professor Jason Halford, from the European Obesity Association, told The Times:
"It's clear that the earlier people start treatment with these weight loss medications, the better."
Currently, the drugs are being restricted to use on the NHS (the British health service), being given to just 50,000 people, but now the government is being urged to widen access.
Professor Halford added:
"If the government and the NHS are serious about prevention, then they need to review their stance on the pace of distribution of these drugs."
It was also revealed at the conference that another 150 similar drugs are currently in development by pharmaceutical companies.
Professor John Deanfield, a cardiologist at University College London, said this was "extraordinary" and a "scenario that has never been seen before in medicine."
"These drugs do extraordinary things for improving many diseases," he said.
"They have shown benefits in heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, cancer, mood and mental health."
One of the latest achievements is a pill that mimics the effect of a gastric bypass, which is being hailed as the newest miracle for weight loss.
Some experts say it may be even more effective than weight loss injections in the long term.
The capsules create a temporary layer in the small intestine that prevents the absorption of food, pushing it towards the lower intestine and stimulating hormones that cause a feeling of satiety.
Its manufacturers say the pill has advantages over injections like Ozempic and Mounjaro, including fewer side effects and greater ease of use.
It is also safer and less invasive than gastric bypass surgery.
Rahul Dhanda, CEO of Syntis Bio, the company that makes the pill, said:
“The problem with injections is that they are not very tolerable and patients want to stop them.
You want to have long-term maintenance therapy, and an oral pill is the logical choice because it is simple, tolerable, and safe.
"What we're seeing now is patients and clinics focusing on something safe and sustainable to maintain a manageable weight loss path."
"We currently have not seen any side effects in human testing, and that's because it doesn't enter the bloodstream like injections."
"It's a mechanical molecule, so it's like inserting a stent, rather than a drug that acts on the target and also off it."
By binding to the mucous membrane of the duodenum—the upper part of the small intestine next to the stomach—the pills create a barrier that stops the absorption of calories.
It forces food to go directly to the lower part of the digestive system, triggering a hormonal "cascade" including GLP-1, the same chemical that the Wegovy injection mimics.
The pill also blocks the production of the hormone ghrelin, which causes hunger, and promotes the production of leptin, which causes a feeling of satiety.
The person who takes the pill feels full faster and stops eating.
The layer created by the pill is removed naturally after about 24 hours, leaving no trace.
The effect is similar to gastric bypass, where surgeons shrink the stomach and shorten the small intestine, changing the way food is absorbed and making people feel full more quickly.
In mice, the drug caused them to lose 1 percent of their body weight per week, while preserving 100 percent of their lean muscle mass.
Human trials have not yet studied the effect on weight loss, but have shown that the pills do not cause harmful side effects.
If proven effective in further testing, the pills could help patients maintain a healthy weight after an intensive period of injections, or replace them entirely.
Dr. Louis Aronne of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York said at the conference that a "golden era" of treatment with these new drugs has begun.
The Times reported that he is pressuring healthcare providers, including the NHS, to "distribute them on a large scale", adding:
"I believe that the use of these drugs will prevent the need for many medications, procedures, and surgical interventions."
We are just beginning to understand how many ways these drugs can help..” /GazetaExpress/
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