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New drug makes weight loss safer
September 27, 2007More than 60 percent of American women are overweight, with nearly a third falling into the category of obese and at greater risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Until now, there has been no safe, long-term medical remedy that tackles unwanted weight gain.
Dr. Nir Barak of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine has developed what could be a new weight-loss wonder drug. In conjunction with the drug company Obecure, Dr. Barak developed a new formulation called HistaleanTM, based on betahistine, an approved drug marketed worldwide for the treatment of vertigo. Betahistine has been available to health authorities for over 30 years.
Betahistine is believed to block receptors in the brain - the H1 and H3 receptors - which are connected to one's sense of fullness and desire to eat fatty foods. It has an excellent safety profile and has been used for treatment by more than 100 million patients suffering from vertigo and dizziness in Canada and Europe.
The repurposed pill, Histalean, has been found to quell the desire to consume fatty foods, and the effects have been most pronounced in women.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, about 32% of adult American women under 54 (about 25 million women) suffer from obesity. "Our new results suggest a strong gender-and-age-effect and support the potential of the drug as a breakthrough anti-obesity agent in women 50 years old or less," confirmed Dr. Yaffa Beck, Obecure's CEO.
According to some estimates, obesity results in thousands of deaths a year and accounts for $117 billion in U.S. health care expenses annually. Clearly, a breakthrough in this area will not only make women look and feel better, but it could save their lives as well.
A recent Phase II clinical trial of the new drug in the U.S. suggests that women under the age of 50 who took Histalean for 12 weeks lost 7 times the weight of those taking a placebo. What's most important to the researchers involved is that none of the 281 patients, males and females aged 18-65, complained of any serious side effects.
The trial, completed this August, was supervised by U.S. weight-loss guru Dr. Robert Kushner. The women who took the pill reported, "It wasn't hard." "I wasn't thinking about food." "I was content."
Dr. Barak explains why this is good news, "All the drugs in the diet pill market today have serious side effects. They may help a woman lose weight, but with that weight loss comes all sorts of bad things like depression and even suicide. Safety issues are a real concern for the FDA. But because this new drug has already been proven safe for other indications, we think Histalean has real blockbuster potential."
The recent results were based on a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on people with a Body Mass Index ranging from 30 to 40. (A BMI of 30 and above indicate obesity.) The study was conducted at 19 investigation sites across the U.S. over a 12 week treatment period. The subgroup of high-dose Histalean-treated women lost an average of 2.91% of their weight versus placebo group which lost only 0.4 %.
Dr. Barak's drug is also expected to compete for the $28 billion market of cholesterol-reducing drugs such as Lipitor. It could also be used in parallel with anti-psychotic drugs, which have unwanted side effects of extreme weight gain among mental health patients.
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
The repurposed pill, Histalean, has been found to quell the desire to consume fatty foods, and the effects have been most pronounced in women.
According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, about 32% of adult American women under 54 (about 25 million women) suffer from obesity. "Our new results suggest a strong gender-and-age-effect and support the potential of the drug as a breakthrough anti-obesity agent in women 50 years old or less," confirmed Dr. Yaffa Beck, Obecure's CEO.
According to some estimates, obesity results in thousands of deaths a year and accounts for $117 billion in U.S. health care expenses annually. Clearly, a breakthrough in this area will not only make women look and feel better, but it could save their lives as well.
A recent Phase II clinical trial of the new drug in the U.S. suggests that women under the age of 50 who took Histalean for 12 weeks lost 7 times the weight of those taking a placebo. What's most important to the researchers involved is that none of the 281 patients, males and females aged 18-65, complained of any serious side effects.
The trial, completed this August, was supervised by U.S. weight-loss guru Dr. Robert Kushner. The women who took the pill reported, "It wasn't hard." "I wasn't thinking about food." "I was content."
Dr. Barak explains why this is good news, "All the drugs in the diet pill market today have serious side effects. They may help a woman lose weight, but with that weight loss comes all sorts of bad things like depression and even suicide. Safety issues are a real concern for the FDA. But because this new drug has already been proven safe for other indications, we think Histalean has real blockbuster potential."
The recent results were based on a double-blind, placebo-controlled study on people with a Body Mass Index ranging from 30 to 40. (A BMI of 30 and above indicate obesity.) The study was conducted at 19 investigation sites across the U.S. over a 12 week treatment period. The subgroup of high-dose Histalean-treated women lost an average of 2.91% of their weight versus placebo group which lost only 0.4 %.
Dr. Barak's drug is also expected to compete for the $28 billion market of cholesterol-reducing drugs such as Lipitor. It could also be used in parallel with anti-psychotic drugs, which have unwanted side effects of extreme weight gain among mental health patients.
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Weight Gain Current Events and Weight Gain News RSSFatty diet during pregnancy makes new cells in fetal brain that cause early onset obesity
A study in rats shows that exposure to a high-fat diet during pregnancy produces permanent changes in the offspring's brain that lead to overeating and obesity early in life, according to new research by Rockefeller University scientists.
Drug mimics low-cal diet to ward off weight gain, boost running endurance
A drug designed to specifically hit a protein linked to the life-extending benefits of a meager diet can essentially trick the body into believing food is scarce even when it isn't, suggests a new report in the November Cell Metabolism.
Penn Scientists Map Molecular Regulation of Fat-Cell Genetics
A research team led by Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, has used state-of-the-art genetic technology to map thousands of positions where a molecular "master regulator" of fat-cell biology is nestled in DNA to control genes in these cells.
Research shows that the Pill does not deserve its reputation for causing weight gain
Research has not proven that the Pill causes weight gain. But many women are put off using contraceptive pills because this has been listed as one of their adverse effects.
Gaining too much weight during pregnancy nearly doubles risk of having a heavy baby
A study by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research of more than 40,000 women and their babies found that women who gained more than 40 pounds during their pregnancies were nearly twice as likely to have a heavy baby.
New MU Study Indicates that Exercise Prevents Fatty Liver Disease
It's easy to go to the gym on a regular basis right after a person buys the gym membership. It's also easy to skip the gym one day, then the next day and the day after that. A new University of Missouri study indicates that the negative effects of skipping exercise can occur in a short period.
Geisinger research: Antimalarial drug prevents diabetes in arthritis patients
The use of an antimalarial medication may prevent the onset of diabetes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, new Geisinger research shows.
Study Shows Steroid Therapies Following Transplant Can Be Eliminated
A new study by researchers at UC shows that using modern immunosuppressive drugs eliminates the need for steroid therapy as early as seven days following a transplant surgery while still maintaining kidney function
Fructose Sets Table For Weight Gain Without Warning
Eating too much fructose can induce leptin resistance, a condition that can easily lead to becoming overweight when combined with a high-fat, high-calorie diet, according to a new study with rats.
Association found between severe obstructive sleep apnea
A study in the October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that unrelated to obesity, people with severe SDBs consume a more unhealthy diet, which may be a factor contributing to greater cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. These findings were most evident among women.
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