Weight loss drugs could shrink muscles: AstraZeneca chief
Weight loss drugs could shrink muscles: AstraZeneca chief
London: AstraZeneca chief Pascal Soriot has warned that the use of popular weight loss drugs such as Vegoway could cause patients to lose muscle mass.
Obesity drugs, including Wegovi, which mimics a hormone that makes the body feel satiety, are currently being used by hundreds of thousands of people.
However, Soriot warned patients and called on companies to create drugs that target “more fat and less muscle”, the Telegraph reports.
“Today you’ve lost weight but lost fat and lost muscle. The problem with many (treatments) is that when you stop, your weight goes back up again, because obesity is a chronic disease. Is.
Soriot was quoted as saying, “Most people regain their obesity as soon as they stop taking the drugs, but not much of the muscle they lost, unless, of course, they go to the gym.”
He also called on pharma companies to “improve the quality” of weight loss drugs so they last longer and make them more targeted for fat loss.
This comes as several studies have pointed to several risks associated with these popular drugs like Ozempic, Rybelsus and Saxenda.
A study published in JAMA showed that drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, originally developed for the management of type-2 diabetes, could lead to serious medical complications including stomach paralysis, pancreatitis and bowel obstruction. are associated with an increased risk of conditions.
Some users claimed it caused suicidal thoughts, leading the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to launch an investigation into its potential risks.
After examining nearly 2 million patients with type 2 diabetes or obesity, Case Western Reserve University researchers found no evidence to support the EMA’s concern that semaglutide could cause suicidal thoughts.
Demand for obesity treatments is booming, with experts expecting the industry to become worth $90 billion (£74 billion) in the coming years.
Soriot said this huge level of demand could lead to an increase in plastic packaging and raise environmental concerns. “If you think about a billion people every week who use a plastic pen, that’s a lot of plastic. All these plastic pens are going to become an issue at some point.”
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca is developing its own weight loss treatment with the aim of outshining rivals with a new, potentially cheaper, obesity drug. The company, known for its Covid vaccine, in November signed a deal worth up to £1.6 billion for an experimental pill being developed by Chinese biotech company Accogene.
The report said Soriot said the plan is to create drugs that can be used in poor countries rather than just in Western countries, claiming AstraZeneca is the “next generation and next wave” of obesity and diabetes treatments. Is developing.
He said AstraZeneca would combine its drugs to help people with other weight-related issues, such as high blood pressure or heart disease, the report said.
