We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
A NEW DRUG aimed at tackling obesity has been found to reduce body weight by almost 11%.
The results of the research trials, published in The Lancet, found that the drug can lead to a weight loss of two stone within six months.
The drug, Cagrilintide, is taken once weekly as an injection and works by increasing people’s sense of ‘satiety’, allowing those taking the treatment to feel less hungry and as a result, eat less.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast this morning, obesity specialist at St Vincent’s University Hospital Professor Carel le Roux explained how the drug works in the middle part of the brain “that has the disease of obesity that makes people feel more hungry or less satisfied”.
“If you treat this disease, the disease comes under control, and once the disease is under control, then people naturally lose weight, they naturally eat less food,” he said.
The trials for the drug took place in ten countries, including Ireland, over a period of six months in 2019 and involved 706 participants who were split into seven groups.
One group was given a placebo, while another was given an existing obesity drug. The remaining five groups were given different strength doses of cagrilintide.
Those given the higher dose of the drug were found to have a reduction in body weight of between 9% and 11%, while those given lower doses of the drug saw around a 6% reduction in body weight.
Dr Babak Dehestani, one of the researchers at St Vincent’s, said the study concluded that the treatment led to significant loss in weight and was well tolerated.
Le Roux said that while not everybody with obesity will qualify for the drug, it will enable those that do qualify to live longer and better.
“These drugs will be cost effective, and also improve the quality of life,” he said.
He also said that he hopes the drug will be able to be used more widely by people with obesity in the future.
“It will take a period of time, but at the moment, we’re not treating anybody who has the disease of obesity, so we have to make a start in doing this, and these drugs are really going to revolutionise the way we think about it.”
Vera Vaughan from Dublin, who participated in the trial, said there is a major need for the drug and others like it to be made available to people living with obesity in Ireland.
“The government should support more clinical research in Ireland to allow patients like me to benefit first from these innovations. This medication is life-changing,” she said.
Obesity affects more than a million people in Ireland and is one of the major causes of cancer, heart attacks and a reduction in quality of life.
It is also the major contributing factor to type 2 diabetes, which affects around 200,000 people across the country.
Treatment for type 2 diabetes alone accounts for more than 10% of the overall healthcare budget.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
@Martin Greene: Fundamental misunderstanding of obesity there fella. Doing all the exercise in the world 24/7 won’t cure obesity, it’s nearly entirely down to food intake.
@Mark Brown: don’t know what the origional comment was but it’s seems to me that exercise will cause someone to lose weight! Of course it would. Every in versus energy out. Atheletes eat up to 1000 more calories than the average person so food intake does not mean obesity when exercise is involved!
@Marie Broomfield: Not that simple. If it was everyone would be skinny.
@Marie Broomfield: Mast cell stabilization: novel medication for obesity and diabetes
@Mark Brown: Your wrong, it is down to food intake yes some gain weight easier than others but without excess food/calorie intake you simply cannot gain weight!
@Mark Brown: exactly, you cant outrun your fork!
@Mark Brown: Agree. Indeed weight gain and exercise are practically different subjects. The consumption of calories to just maintain our bodies account for most of our energy and there is little available for ‘exercise’. The new drug will work only if it causes people to feel full on less food. This is an interesting study. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/260384/&ved=2ahUKEwjP5uT1vK30AhWONcAKHQkwB1kQFnoECAMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3BAdt0D1j_cBRs1RN7CWqR&cf=1
Raging if you got the placebo
I’m type two diabetic due to my weight and other factors, I was put on ozempic this is also a once weekly injection to help me lose weight, since starting it a year ago I’m now down four stone, so it can work with changes to your diet and do forth, so I’m glad there is a drug now for non diabetic patients to help them lose the weight that can be so hard to lose.
@Traze Shallow: Our food safety laws are not protecting us. USA, EU, UK, Oz etc all allow known allergens to be legally hidden in our food chain.
This part of the problem driving inflammatory havoc including T2D. Perhaps hiding known allergens isn’t a good idea.
What happens when you stop taking the drug?
@The Bolt: you’ll get hungry
I’d probably binge in them and put up 2 stone …
Reminds me of the old joke ‘I recently went on a restrictive diet and in just a fortnight I lost fourteen days…’
Another good subcutaneous drug is Ozempik taken once a week also it’s a semaglutide drug and proven to aid Weight-loss in conjunction with a healthy diet & exercise.
“works in the middle part of the brain “that has the disease of obesity that makes people feel more hungry” hmm right. Not always or simply a hunger issue. A drug that gives you lots of energy will cause you to lose weight too. lol. suggestions?
Won’t out train a bad diet ..,
This new drug is extremely expensive costing almost €1000 per week.
How many kg is one stone? Are we using the metric system in ireland or not?
have your say