Researchers at Indiana University have engineered a drug that appears to be effective against both obesity and type 2 diabetes. The compound stimulated insulin activity, reduced blood glucose, and resulted in weight loss in rodents, monkeys, and humans, all without evoking significant side effects.

The drug works by concurrently mimicking the actions of two hormones secreted in the gut, GLP-1 and GIP. GLP-1 boosts insulin sensitivity, promotes insulin production, and reduces appetite by increasing feelings of satiety. GIP is thought to induce insulin secretion and stimulate fat metabolism.

Current diabetes medications only focus on GLP-1. By and large, they are effective at battling the condition, however they also induce undesirable gastrointestinal side effects, such as vomiting and diarrhea. By activating both GLP-1 and GIP receptors, the new drug appears to unleash a yet unidentified synergistic effect. In some cases, it was able to achieve the same results as current medications at doses ten times smaller!

The most astounding effects of the drug were seen in weight loss. Over a four-week treatment period, obese and diabetic rodents shed pounds equivalent to between 10 and 20 percent of their body weight, while enjoying reduced cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Such results roughly compare to a 250-pound obese person dropping between 25 and 50 pounds over the course of two years. Not too shabby. Current diabetes drugs were assessed alongside the new one, but did not produce statistically significant weight loss.

The researchers also preliminarily tested their compound in both monkeys and 53 obese human subjects. Again, the drug greatly outperformed current diabetes medications, reducing blood glucose levels to a far greater extent and engendering weight loss. However, the human trials lasted just six weeks, which is hardly significant to provide definitive evidence of long-term weight loss.

"The body weight reduction in this first human study of six weeks is modest," lead investigator Richard DiMarchi told RCScience. "To properly ascertain the potential for weight loss in humans, a study of much more than six weeks duration at higher doses is required."

Though the weight loss component of the drug has yet to be conclusively demonstrated in humans, there was positive news in the realm of side effects. They were minimal, with no cases of vomiting whatsoever and only a couple cases of diarrhea in the high-dose group.

In-depth clinical trials in humans are already in the works.

Source: B. Finan, T. Ma, N. Ottaway, T. D. Müller, K. M. Habegger, K. M. Heppner, H. Kirchner, J. Holland, J. Hembree, C. Raver, S. H. Lockie, D. L. Smiley, V. Gelfanov, B. Yang, S. Hofmann, D. Bruemmer, D. J. Drucker, P. T. Pfluger, D. Perez-Tilve, J. Gidda, L. Vignati, L. Zhang, J. B. Hauptman, M. Lau, M. Brecheisen, S. Uhles, W. Riboulet, E. Hainaut, E. Sebokova, K. Conde-Knape, A. Konkar, R. D. DiMarchi, M. H. Tschöp, Unimolecular dual incretins maximize metabolic benefits in rodents, monkeys, and humans. Sci. Transl. Med. 5, 209ra151 (2013).