Oral medication offers potential for managing diabetes and obesity without causing muscle wastage.
Revamped Perspective:
- *A groundbreaking study unveiled the promising outcomes of a novel drug, dubbed ATR-258, crafted by Swedish researchers to assist individuals with type 2 diabetes and obesity in losing weight.
- Unlike the prevalent GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, ATR-258 operates through a distinct method, targeting metabolism in skeletal muscles.
- Researchers assert that ATR-258 preserves muscle mass during weight loss, a crucial advantage in contemporary treatments.
Millions of U.S. residents grapple with diabetes and obesity, often facing side-effects from treatments like drugs that lead to muscle mass depletion.
Losing muscle mass can result in reduced strength and a sluggish metabolism, escalating the risk of conditions like osteoporosis.
Prominent researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, both in Sweden, have formulated ATR-258 to combat type 2 diabetes and obesity without adversely impacting muscle mass.
They recently published reports from an initial phase 1 clinical trial to examine human tolerance towards the drug.
The findings are featured in the esteemed medical journal, .
Swap your Ozempic for muscle-sparing ATR-258
GLP-1 drugs, encompassing semaglutide medications, operate by dampening hunger signals and slowing down gastric emptying, facilitating weight loss. However, these drugs are associated with a reduction in lean muscle mass by up to 60%.
The trailblazing Swedish researchers developed a tablet-based drug that triggers muscle metabolism, discovering in animal trials, that it circumvents the muscle loss side effect of GLP-1 drugs.
Muscles are metabolically active, consuming more calories at rest than fat, so the preservation of muscle during weight loss ensures a boosted resting metabolic rate and an easier weight management journey.
Moreover, muscles help regulate blood sugar by absorbing glucose from the bloodstream, and their preservation during weight loss can foster better blood sugar control while countering insulin resistance.
ATR-258 relies on a beta-2 molecule; traditional beta-2 medications can precipitate heart complications, yet the developers claim that ATR-258's construction renders it to induce "little or no increase" in cardiac lesions or hypertrophy.
Post the completion of animal trials with the medication, the researchers moved forward with a human trial involving 48 healthy individuals and 25 people with type 2 diabetes.
For 28 days, both groups consumed a 2.5 mg tablet of ATR-258 once daily and underwent monitoring of various health metrics, including heart rate and blood pressure.
ATR-258 is well-tolerated by humans
The trial participants reported acceptable tolerability for the drug overall. Early in the trial, participants experienced a transient, reflex-driven increase in heart rate. However, this side effect diminished by day 28, and researchers observed no significant variation between the groups regarding heart rate or blood pressure.
One trial participant endured a serious adverse event related to the drug, but the researchers emphasized that this happened in someone with preexisting cardiac abnormalities, leaving uncertainties regarding its connection to the study drug.
The participants all had plasma levels suitable for therapeutic effectiveness at the trial's conclusion, corroborating that the participants were adhering to the prescribed medication usage and substantiating the collected health metrics.
This first phase of the trial demonstrated positive results, paving the way for a more substantial Phase 2 clinical trial designed to gauge the drug's influence on people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, specifically regarding muscle mass, glucose levels, and insulin sensitivity.
ATR-258: A potential game-changer for diabetes and obesity treatment
Mir Ali, MD, a certified general surgeon, bariatric surgeon, and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center, expressed his optimism regarding ATR-258:
"Preliminary findings indicate that ATR-258 could emerge as a promising weight loss and diabetes medication without triggering muscle loss, which conventional treatments often do," said Ali, distanced from the study.
Ali warned that a comparative clinical trial with available GLP-1 drugs is warranted, citing the discrepancies frequently observed between initial findings and real-world scenarios. He also underlined the significance of preserving muscle mass during weight loss as it ensures better fat loss, strength, and metabolic rate preservation.
Maria Knöbel, MBBS, medical director of Medical Cert UK, echoed Ali's observations:
Knöbel, a clinical stranger to the study, spoke about the trial results: "In my clinical experience, muscle loss is prevalent among patients with diabetes undergoing weight loss, exacerbating their insulin resistance. The ATR-258 trial has excellent potential as it addresses this challenge by proving a solution for weight loss without stressing muscles. This would be instrumental in managing diabetes, especially in light of improved glucose control and long-term disease outcomes for affected patients."
- A significant number of American residents struggle with the chronic diseases of diabetes and obesity, often experiencing unfavorable side effects from treatments that lead to muscle mass depletion.
- Losing muscle mass can lead to reduced strength and a slower metabolism, increasing the risk of developing chronic conditions such as osteoporosis.
- The innovative ATR-258 drug, developed by Swedish researchers, has the potential to combat type 2 diabetes and obesity without affecting muscle mass.
- This novel drug operates through a unique mechanism, stimulating muscle metabolism and preventing the muscle loss side effect associated with current GLP-1 drugs.
- Muscles having a higher metabolic activity consume more calories at rest than fat, ensuring their preservation during weight loss boosts the resting metabolic rate and facilitates weight management.
- Although muscle loss is prevalent among diabetic patients undergoing weight loss, exacerbating their insulin resistance, the ATR-258 trial has the potential to address this issue by providing a solution for weight loss without impacting muscles, which would be crucial in managing diabetes and improving long-term disease outcomes for affected patients.
