An experimental drug for treating diabetes and obesity has been shown to lower blood sugar levels and increase fat burning. It is a β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) agonist that mimics the effects of physical exercise by activating skeletal muscle metabolism. Unlike GLP-1-based treatments such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, this new compound, developed by researchers at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm University, and the biotech company Atrogi AB, does not suppress appetite or cause muscle loss.
Classically, the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes comes after a patient presents with unexplained weight loss, extreme thirst and frequent urination and a lab test reveals off-the-charts blood glucose levels. At the 85th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in Chicago, researchers highlighted two options – a blood test and a machine learning model – for diagnosing the disease much earlier in its progression, when damage to the pancreas' beta cells could be slowed.
The EMA’s safety committee has issued a warning that the GLP-1 receptor agonist Ozempic (semaglutide, Novo Nordisk A/S) can cause an acute eye condition in which the optic nerve is damaged by a sudden loss of blood supply. After reviewing several large epidemiological studies, clinical trial and in-market data, EMA’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee has concluded non-anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is a “very rare” side effect of Ozempic, that “may affect up to one in 10,000 people taking semaglutide.
Far from eliminating the need for weight-loss procedures, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists could drive more people to seek them out. At least that’s what Fractyl Health Inc. and Bariendo Inc. hope, and they have strong evidence to support their case with a recent meta-analysis showing that individuals discontinuing the popular weight loss medications regain all their weight and more within two years.
Step aside, Marco Polo: Kakao Healthcare Corp. plans to bring PASTA to Japan. PASTA is Kakao's AI-based continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) management mobile application, which will be available in Japan through a new subsidiary as the health care company works to expand its global presence.
A pair of studies published in Diabetologia demonstrate that use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) reduces hospitalizations in people with type 1 diabetes and in those with type 2 diabetes who use insulin compared to use of capillary blood glucose monitoring. Abbott Laboratories’s REFLECT real-world studies showed that use of its Freestyle Libre CGMs reduced the severity of cardiovascular conditions associated with diabetes and, consequently, led to fewer in-patient stays.
In a deal that could top out at about $2.2 billion, Septerna Inc. is getting $200 million up front from Novo Nordisk A/S in a collaboration to develop oral treatments for obesity, type 2 diabetes and other cardiometabolic indications. There will be four programs for discovering, developing and commercializing small molecules targeting G protein-coupled receptors, which includes GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors, with both companies putting their shoulders to conducting research from discovery to choice of candidate.
Genprex Inc. and University of Pittsburgh have entered into a new sponsored research agreement (SRA) to study GPX-002, Genprex’s gene therapy for diabetes in animal models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Days after Pfizer Inc. pulled the plug on its oral GLP-1 candidate danuglipron, Eli Lilly and Co. aired positive top-line data from the phase III trial called Achieve-1 testing orforglipron vs. placebo in adults with type 2 diabetes and inadequate glycemic control with diet and exercise alone.
