This content material initially appeared on On a regular basis Well being. Republished with permission.
By Ross Wollen
Key Takeaways
In scientific trials, the drug pemvidutide helped topics drop greater than 15 p.c of their physique weight, with much less muscle loss than rival GLP-1 medicine.
Pemvidutide additionally decreased ldl cholesterol, however didn’t have an effect on blood sugar ranges.
The medicine will progress to late-stage trials, the final step earlier than its maker seeks FDA approval.
A medicine now in scientific trials is sparking curiosity as a result of it will probably trigger vital weight reduction whereas minimizing lack of lean muscle — one thing its rivals don’t do fairly as effectively. Researchers shared outcomes from a part 2 trial this week on the American Diabetes Affiliation’s annual scientific convention.
Pemvidutide, manufactured by an organization known as Altimmune, belongs to a class of weight reduction medicine that features semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). These medicine mimic the exercise of a hormone known as GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) that’s launched within the intestine after consuming. By stimulating insulin manufacturing and triggering emotions of satiety within the mind, GLP-1 medicines decrease blood sugar ranges and curb urge for food.
In contrast to different GLP-1 medicine, pemvidutide additionally mimics the hormone glucagon, which instructs the liver to launch saved sugar into the bloodstream.
How Effectively Does Pemvidutide Work?
The trial evaluated pemvidutide’s effectiveness in additional than 200 adults with out diabetes who had been chubby or had weight problems. After 48 weeks of therapy, topics on the highest dose of pemvidutide misplaced a median of 15.6 p.c of their physique weight, and appeared to nonetheless be shedding weight even because the analysis wrapped up. Additionally they noticed vital reductions in blood lipid ranges, together with triglycerides and complete ldl cholesterol.
Members skilled no adjustments in fasting blood sugar or A1C. That makes pemvidutide totally different from semaglutide and tirzepatide, which had been initially developed to deal with sort 2 diabetes.
“It’s the glucagon part,” defined Louis Aronne, MD, on the convention; he’s a professor at Weill Cornell Drugs in New York Metropolis and the trial’s principal investigator. “Glucagon, by making the liver make glucose, raises blood sugar. The GLP-1 reduces sugar.” The 2 hormones seem to cancel one another out.
Dr. Aronne famous that pemvidutide “might have necessary results on the standard of weight reduction,” in addition to on the numerous well being dangers related to weight problems.
Pemvidutide Helps Protect Muscle Throughout Weight Loss
All weight reduction entails sacrificing some lean mass, primarily muscle. However some consultants have raised alarms that semaglutide and different medicine within the GLP-1 class are inflicting an excessive amount of muscle loss, which may impair an individual’s capacity to operate in each day life and even (in a worst-case situation) result in critical frailty.
“As the main target shifts to long-term weight administration, the preservation of lean mass will likely be essential for affected person care,” Aronne mentioned.
There may be solely a small quantity of knowledge on the physique composition of individuals in vital GLP-1 trials, however that proof has raised some purple flags. Two small analyses, for instance, discovered about that about 40 p.c of weight reduction on semaglutide got here from the lack of lean mass.[1][2] Aronne acknowledged that typical weight reduction interventions sometimes incur about 25 p.c loss from lean mass.
The pemvidutide trial, against this, discovered that solely 21.9 p.c of weight reduction got here from lean mass. Aronne mentioned that researchers didn’t but perceive why pemvidutide has this distinctive impact on physique composition.
Weight problems consultants are nonetheless debating about these claims of extreme muscle loss, with some saying that the priority shouldn’t be supported by knowledge.[3] However GLP-1 producers seem like taking the problem very significantly, and are investing closely in therapies that would restrict the lack of lean mass.[4]
Within the meantime, docs and nutritionists broadly advocate that individuals utilizing weight reduction medicine take care to train and devour sufficient protein, each of which can assist protect muscle.
Pemvidutide May Assist Deal with Liver Illness
Along with weight problems, pemvidutide might also at some point be used to deal with metabolic dysfunction–related steatohepatitis, a liver situation often called MASLD. The illness, which is normally asymptomatic, is outlined by a excessive focus of fats inside the liver (it was beforehand known as nonalcoholic fatty liver illness, or NAFLD).
In some sufferers with MASLD, the liver’s accumulation of fats will progress to a extreme and harmful state named MASH. Extra trials are deliberate to deal with pemvidutide’s capacity to deal with liver illness.
What Are the Facet Results of Pemvidutide?
As with different GLP-1 medicine, folks within the pemvidutide trial skilled a excessive charge of gastrointestinal unwanted side effects, equivalent to nausea and vomiting.
Pemvidutide was examined in three totally different dosages, two of which didn’t require titration (progressively rising the dosage), although Aronne urged that the producer might select to revisit the dosing particulars sooner or later to be able to decrease unwanted side effects.
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