London, United Kingdom (CU)_ A drug that controls the body’s appetite system was identified by scientists as a potential game changer in the treatment of obesity. The study showed that the drug could slash body weight by up to 20 percent. The findings of a broad-scale global study about the weight loss drug revealed that over one-third of those taking semaglutide had lost more than one-fifth of their body weight.
The study trialed nearly 2,000 individuals from 16 countries. It found that three-quarters of those taking the proposed medication lost more than 10% of their body weight. At present, the medication is used to treat diabetes and minimizes calorie consumption by altering appetite control.
Rachel Batterham from University College London, one of the principal authors of the report, noted that the study will be a major breakthrough in the treatment of obesity. Batterman said the study is a game changer. She said, “No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss ― this really is a game changer. For the first time, people can achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery.”
Duane Mellor, a dietician from Aston Medical School in Birmingham, central England, noted that the drug provided a valuable alternative. However, he warned saying, “weight loss will still need lifestyle change, and that any medication or change in lifestyle can bring potential risks and side-effects”. The British authors of the study emphasized on the influence that the new obesity drug could have on health outcomes for a number of diseases, including Covid-19, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancers. Batterham said, “This drug could have major implications for UK health policy for years to come”.
During the Covid 19 pandemic, UK health specialists identified a line between predominant obesity and the high death rate in the region. Britain remained Europe’s worst affected countries by the disease with over 114,000 deaths. The authors of the study have submitted proof from the trial for the approval of the drug semaglutide to be used in the treatment of obesity in Britain, the European Union and the United States.
