Scientists make first pill that controls present conditions and helps lose weight for type 2 diabetes

Scientists have recently created a new medicine, semaglutide, that can stop type 2 diabetes in its tracks and help patients lose weight from their waistlines, revealed a major study.

Research from phase II trial carried out by the Leicester Diabetes Centre was published in the prestigious JAMA. 

Participants were either given semaglutide orally to replace an injection or they were given a placebo. They were continuously monitored over 26 weeks. All participants are suffered from type 2 diabetes and had a BMI above or equal to 25. 

Semaglutide allowed 71 percent of them to deduce pounds, found in results from a human trail of 632 patients. It is believed this is the first type 2 diabetes pill to help control weight.

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The pill was handed as an add-on item to patients who are already taking Metformin, the drug is the first line of defence to control the preventable condition. The pill also stopped type 2 diabetes in its tracks, cut down blood sugar levels and prevented patients from needing insulin.

Severe type 2 diabetes can lead to heart failure, blindness, and leg amputations. 

Researchers hope the pill can provide better ways to the hidden killer like some trigger unexpected weight gain. 

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Obesity is one of the reasons that lead to the disease. Spiraling obesity rates have irritated a 65 percent rise in diagnoses in over past 10 years. More than 4 million people are now living with the condition, UK data shows. There are 380 million patients all over the world.

 Charities also raise concern about today’s lifestyles which may also the problem of the condition.

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Professor Melanie Davies, the lead author, said the study "hugely promising" and it show "semaglutide's ability to reduce HbA1c and support weight loss".

He said taking semaglutide may provide relief of some diabetics who struggle injecting themselves.

"We know that it is a bit of a barrier to people and anything that makes treatment more accessible and easier has got to be seen as good." Professor Davies added,  "Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition with potentially devastating complications which is posing a major challenge to health services across the world because of the increasing numbers of people developing it."

"These results demonstrating semaglutide’s ability to have a significant impact on lowering HbA1c and support weight loss when taken orally therefore are hugely promising."

Semaglutide is expected to be available on the National Health Service (NHS) within three years.

Drug regulators in Europe have found no evidence that popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are linked to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts or actions.

The European Medicines Agency regulatory committee announced the results of its review on Friday. It's the latest group to conclude there's no known tie between a new class of obesity drugs and suicide.

In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a preliminary review showed no evidence of such a link, though the agency said it could not rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that it would continue to study the issue. A federally funded U.S. study also found that people taking semaglutide, the medication in Ozempic and Wegovy, had a lower risk of suicidal thoughts than those taking older medications to treat diabetes and obesity.

The review by the European Union's regulators was triggered last July by anecdotal reports that people taking the drugs had thoughts of self-harm. The regulators examined studies, post-marketing data and other research related to medications used in nearly a dozen drugs used to treat the diseases. The group did not review information regarding tirzepatide, the medication used in drugs sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Both agencies said they would continue to closely monitor reports of suicidal thoughts or actions in people taking the drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Patients taking the drugs should report any mental health or other problems to their health care providers, officials said.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - The injectable drug Ozempic is shown Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Houston. Drug regulators in Europe have found no evidence that popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are linked to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts or actions. The European Medicines Agency regulatory committee announced the results of its review on Friday, April 12, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)