James Moorhouse
There looks to have been another breakthrough in the world of weight loss drugs, with tests suggesting that a new jab could see patients lose fat without even having to change the food they eat.
In recent years, we have seen the likes of Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy explode in popularity, with the latter now offered on the NHS.
Crucially, the drugs are only offered as prescriptions to people who have an extremely high BMI or at risk of heart disease, and yet it seems as if nearly everyone is able to get their hands on them one way or another.
With celebrities and influencers online continuing to do potentially irreparable damage by fostering unrealistic body expectations and encouraging the often illegal use of these drugs, more and more people are seeking them out, despite the wide range of side effects they often come with.
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Unsurprisingly, the scientists and pharmaceutical companies behind the medicines are always trying to come up with new ways for them to sell, and there was a recent breakthrough in a trial where a triple strength dose of Wegovy proved to be safe and had extremely effective results.
One concern has remained throughout and that is how people are able to avoid putting weight back on when they eventually do reach their desired weight, as the GLP-1 receptor drugs will no longer be able to keep them feeling full.
While some have had success with weaning themselves off the drugs, others have found themselves in a dangerous and no doubt expensive loop of losing and putting on weight.
But now, scientists at Resalis Therapeutics think they might have come up with a solution; by creating a new weight loss jab which allows its patients to keep eating exactly how they were before, without the worry of putting weight back on.
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The new drug, RES-010, will aim to boost metabolism without users needing to eat less food, and it is already entering the first phase of clinical trials on humans.
Dr Ricardo Panella, co-founder and CEO of Resalis Therapeutics, which has produced the drug, said: "RES-010 works by reprogramming how cells handle fat and energy.
"Rather than reducing appetite, it changes the way in which the body uses fat, boosting the production and activity of mitochondria, the 'batteries' that power cells, and helps convert white fat, which stores energy, into brown fat, which burns it.
"RES-010 is pioneering a new class of RNA medicines that reprogramme the body's metabolism, with the aim of producing long-lasting weight loss and improved metabolic health by, for example improving liver health."
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A study on mice found that they lost 12 per cent more weight than the other mice who were left untreated and crucially, the mice didn't put the weight back on when the treatment was stopped.
Although the drug still needs to be peer-reviewed, and there are natural concerns about something which can reprogram the body's metabolism, it could prove to be a game-changer in the future.