Health

‘Dual-action’ weight-loss pill helps people drop 13% of body weight in three months in early trials

Published

1 year ago

September 12, 2024

‘Dual-action’ weight-loss pill helps people drop 13% of body weight in three months in early trials

An experimental weight-loss pill is showing promising results, helping people drop 13% of their body weight in a three-month period.

The results from early clinical trials were presented by Novo Nordisk — the Danish drugmaker behind Ozempic and Wegovy — at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Madrid this week.

The drug, amycretin, works by replicating two hunger hormones — amylin, which regulates appetite and creates a feeling of fullness, and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), the same hormone that is used in Ozempic and Wegovy to suppress appetite and boost insulin secretion.

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“Amycretin is the first treatment to harness the two distinct biological pathways stimulated by amylin and GLP-1 in a single molecule,” Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president and head of development at Novo Nordisk, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

An experimental weight-loss pill is showing promising results, helping people drop 13% of their body weight in a three-month period. (iStock)

“We are proud to present the phase 1 study results at EASD, showing that the mean change in percentage body weight was -13.1% with amycretin after 12 weeks of treatment.”

While Ozempic and Wegovy are administered via injection, amycretin is given as a 50-milligram oral pill.

The clinical trial included participants who were obese or overweight but did not have diabetes. Those who took amycretin for 12 weeks lost more weight than those on a placebo — and higher doses led to more weight loss, according to Novo Nordisk.

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Taking the pill once a day led to around 10% weight loss, and those who doubled the dose lost 13%.

Another benefit the researchers highlighted is that people taking amycretin did not appear to hit a “weight loss plateau,” continuing to shed pounds as long as they took it.

Novo Nordisk — the Danish drugmaker behind Ozempic and Wegovy — presented the findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Madrid this week. (iStock)

“The lack of weight loss plateauing indicates the possibility of achieving further weight reductions with extended treatment,” Agnes Gasoirek, a senior clinical pharmacology specialist at Novo Nordisk, wrote in the study findings.

‘Dual effect’

Dr. Christine Ren-Fielding, director and chief of bariatric surgery at the NYU Langone Weight Management Program, commented on the drug’s effectiveness.

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“GLP-1-based treatments, like Ozempic, have already shown impressive weight loss results by helping patients feel fuller for longer and reducing appetite,” the doctor, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

“Adding amylin, another hormone that plays a crucial role in regulating insulin and hunger signals, amplifies this effect.”

Adding amylin, a hormone that plays a crucial role in regulating insulin and hunger signals, amplifies the effect of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, a doctor said. (Reuters)

This “dual action” creates a more powerful tool to manage cravings and caloric intake, according to Ren-Fielding.

“It’s particularly interesting because it addresses weight management through multiple physiological pathways, making it more comprehensive and potentially more effective than conventional treatments that typically focus on a single mechanism,” she added.

Potential risks or side effects

The most commonly reported side effects of amycretin include gastrointestinal issues like nausea and vomiting, more so with higher doses, according to Novo Nordisk.

“These adverse effects are not unusual with GLP-1 receptor agonists, which are known to affect gastric motility,” Ren-Fielding noted.

“It addresses weight management through multiple physiological pathways.”

It’s important to monitor these side effects closely, she advised, as GI issues are common among patients with obesity.

“While the initial weight loss outcomes are indeed encouraging, further studies are needed to ensure that the therapeutic benefits consistently outweigh the potential risks, especially with long-term administration,” Ren-Fielding added.

‘Not a cure-all’

While GLP-1 based drugs — including this new experimental pill — may show promising results, Ren-Fielding emphasized that they’re “not a cure-all for obesity.”

“Obesity is a chronic, multifactorial disease that requires a comprehensive, long-term approach,” she told Fox News Digital.

“Pharmacological treatments can play a significant role in managing the condition, but they are often most effective when combined with other interventions.”

“Obesity is a chronic, multifactorial disease that requires a comprehensive, long-term approach,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

Some patients may benefit from surgical interventions, the doctor said, along with lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, healthy eating and psychological support to address underlying behavioral factors.

“It’s important to recognize that obesity is not just about weight loss — it’s a lifelong condition that requires ongoing management, much like any other chronic disease,” she added.

Next steps

The results of the study are considered preliminary, as they have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

The researchers will continue to conduct research on amycretin in the coming months, according to Novo Nordisk.

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“The safety and tolerability profiles and the magnitude of weight loss support further development of amycretin, and we are awaiting data from the ongoing phase 1 trial with subcutaneous amycretin, with expected read-out in 2025,” Lange said.

“If further research supports these initial findings, I can envision it becoming a viable option for those struggling with obesity.”

Ren-Fielding said there is “certainly potential” for the new drug to get FDA approval, especially considering the effectiveness of GLP-1-based drugs in recent years — but confirmed that much more testing is needed.

“The current clinical trials are promising, but we need larger, long-term studies to really assess the safety and overall benefits of the drug,” she told Fox News Digital.

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“If further research supports these initial findings, I can envision it becoming a viable option for those struggling with obesity,” she went on.

“While I’m cautiously optimistic, there’s still a road ahead before we see widespread availability.”

Melissa Rudy is senior health editor and a member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to melissa.rudy@fox.com.

Health

Matt Damon’s Gluten-Free Diet Helped Him Lose 18 Pounds

Published

9 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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Matt Damon’s Gluten-Free Diet Helped Him Lose 18 Pounds

Matt Damon’s Weight Loss: Actor Drops 18 Lbs with This Diet | Woman’s World

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Health

Deadly cancer risk could drop with single 10-minute workout, study suggests

Published

10 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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Deadly cancer risk could drop with single 10-minute workout, study suggests

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A single 10-minute workout may trigger blood changes that help fight colon cancer.

That’s according to new research from scientists at Newcastle University, who found that exercise quickly changes the blood in ways that affect colon cancer cells in the lab.

In the study, the U.K. researchers exposed colon cancer cells to human blood serum collected immediately after exercise, finding that the cells repaired DNA damage faster and showed gene activity patterns linked to slower growth.

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The blood samples came from 30 adults who had just completed a short, high-intensity cycling workout that lasted about 10 to 12 minutes, according to a press release.

Even a 10-minute burst of intense exercise may send protective signals through the blood that affect colon cancer cells, researchers say. (iStock)

Samuel T. Orange, an associate professor at Newcastle University and one of the study’s authors, spoke with Fox News Digital about the findings.

“Our findings show that exercise rapidly triggers molecular changes in the bloodstream that can act directly on colon cancer cells, reshaping gene activity and supporting DNA damage repair,” he said.

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The results suggest that even brief activity can make a difference. “Every movement matters. Exercise doesn’t need to last hours or happen in a gym,” Orange added.

The research suggests that exercise quickly triggers changes in the blood that affect colon cancer cells and helps support DNA repair. (iStock)

One of the most surprising findings, according to the researcher, was how strong the biological response was after even a single workout.

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“Exercise altered the activity of more than 1,000 genes in colon cancer cells,” he shared.

Even brief bouts of activity can make a difference, the researcher said. (iStock)

The study findings suggest that the effect is driven by exercise-triggered molecules released into the bloodstream, sometimes referred to as “exerkines,” which act like chemical messengers and send signals throughout the body.

“Each time you exercise, you trigger biological signals that support health and resilience to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease,” Orange said.

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The researchers cautioned that the study was conducted using cancer cells grown in the laboratory, not in patients.

The findings are based on experiments using colon cancer cells grown in the lab, not studies conducted in people, the researchers noted. (iStock)

The study involved 30 healthy male and female volunteers between the ages of 50 and 78. Their blood samples were used to carry exercise-triggered signals to cancer cells grown in the lab.

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“These findings now need to be replicated in people with cancer,” Orange said. “We also need to better understand the longer-term effects of repeated exercise signals over time.”

Despite the limitations, the researcher said the findings strengthen the case for exercise as an important part of colon cancer prevention.

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“Each time you move your body and get a little breathless, you’re contributing to better health and may help influence biological processes linked to bowel cancer,” he added.

Kelly McGreal is a production assistant with the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.

Health

Brain Health Challenge: Try a Brain Teaser

Published

21 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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Brain Health Challenge: Try a Brain Teaser

Welcome back! For Day 4 of the challenge, let’s do a short and fun activity based around a concept called cognitive reserve.

Decades of research show that people who have more years of education, more cognitively demanding jobs or more mentally stimulating hobbies all tend to have a reduced risk of cognitive impairment as they get older.

Experts think this is partly thanks to cognitive reserve: Basically, the more brain power you’ve built up over the years, the more you can stand to lose before you experience impairment. Researchers still don’t agree on how to measure cognitive reserve, but one theory is that better connections between different brain regions corresponds with more cognitive reserve.

To build up these connections, you need to stimulate your brain, said Dr. Joel Salinas, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health and the founder and chief medical officer of the telehealth platform Isaac Health. To do that, try an activity that is “challenging enough that it requires some effort but not so challenging that you don’t want to do it anymore,” he said.

Speaking a second language has been shown to be good for cognition, as has playing a musical instrument, visiting a museum and doing handicrafts like knitting or quilting. Reading is considered a mentally stimulating hobby, and experts say you’ll get an even bigger benefit if you join a book club to make it social. Listen to a podcast to learn something new, or, better yet, attend a lecture in person at a local college or community center, said Dr. Zaldy Tan, the director of the Memory and Healthy Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai. That adds a social component, plus the extra challenge of having to navigate your way there, he said.

A few studies have found that playing board games like chess can be good for your brain; the same goes for doing crossword puzzles. It’s possible that other types of puzzles, like those you find in brain teaser books or from New York Times Games, can also offer a cognitive benefit.

But there’s a catch: To get the best brain workout, the activity should not only be challenging but also new. If you do “Wordle every day, it’s like well, then you’re very, very good at Wordle, and the Wordle part of your brain has grown to be fantastic,” said Dr. Linda Selwa, a clinical professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. “But the rest of your mind might still need work.”

So play a game you’re not used to playing, Dr. Selwa said. “The novelty seems to be what’s driving brain remodeling and growth.”

Today, we want you to push yourself out of your cognitive comfort zone. Check out an online lecture or visit a museum with your challenge partner. Or try your hand at a new game, below. Share what novel thing you did today in the comments, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 5.