Kiwi researchers say they are well on their way to producing a world-first method of losing weight – allowing people to still enjoy their food.
A team at Auckland University is developing a pill which targets the body’s ability to store fat – rather than reduce appetite – as other medicines did.
Auckland University professor of cell signalling Peter Shepherd explained: “What this drug does is it shuffles the fat in your body so it doesn’t get stored in the fat cells. It gets used by your muscle instead.
“It can’t be stored in the fat cell and as a result, over time, you lose the fat.”
The new drug will be available as a pill, and researchers have said it will have advantages over other injectable drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which blunt a person’s appetite so they eat less – leading to muscle loss.
“Here we’re actually redirecting energy into muscle… so we’re actually preserving muscle which is great.”
The researchers have had taxpayer funding to finish their lab tests and are now looking for private investors to set up a biotech company, carry out human trials and bring the drug to the market.
“We would be hoping to be on the market in three to four years.”
According to Health New Zealand data, Kiwis are steadily taking more weight loss drugs.
In the year to May, more than 300,000 packs of Wegovy were dispensed across the country.
Shepherd said the global weight loss market is expected to be worth $100 billion by 2030.
“We think there is a huge opportunity here to create something really big for New Zealand.”
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