New Weight Loss Pill Could Burn Fat Without Muscle Loss

GLP-1 style treatments like Ozempic and Mounjaro are doing wonders when it comes to helping people lose unwanted bodyfat, but research indicates that lean mass could also fall thanks to GLP-1, leading to an almost 40% drop in skeletal muscle in some cases. That’s why news of a new drug that can burn fat while preserving muscle could be a game changer, even complimenting existing treatments.

Encouraging results from a study on the new drug, known technically as a “GRK-biased adrenergic agonist,” have been extremely promising. Firstly, it’s available as an oral pill, meaning no nasty needles, and secondly, this compound doesn’t act on hunger levels. GRK-biased drugs boost metabolic activity within the muscle instead of encouraging appetite loss.

- Advertisement -

What do we know so far about Compound 15?

Results from an important study that came as a result of work by the Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, both in Sweden, were recently published in the Cell Press journal, and come from an important phase I clinical trial involving 48 healthy volunteers alongside 25 individuals with type 2 diabetes, showing that it could lower blood pressure and increase fat burning capabilities within the body, leading to longer lives.

The active substance in this novel drug is a lab developed compound dubbed “Compound 15,” that benefits muscle function but doesn’t overstimulate the heart. “Our results point to a future where we can improve metabolic health without losing muscle mass,” explained Tore Bengtsson, who is professor at the Department of Molecular Bioscience, Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University.  And that’s important, because “muscle mass is also directly correlated with life expectancy,” he added.

Because Compound 15 works via a different pathway to GLP-1 treatments, it may be effective as a standalone drug or paired with others like Ozempic or Mounjaro for supercharged results. So, for those who have shunned GLP-1s because of needles and the potential effects on muscle mass, this is seriously great news. “This drug represents a completely new type of treatment and has the potential to be of great importance for patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity,” said Shane C. Wright, who is an assistant professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet. “Our substance appears to promote healthy weight loss, and, in addition, patients do not have to take injections.”

When will Compound 15 be made available to the public?

Experts say the next phase in rolling out the miracle drug will depend on a larger, phase II clinical trial, but medical practitioners and those who like to stay in shape are already excited for the prospect of an obesity or type 2 diabetes drug that can protect muscle, especially concerning the recent news that Metformin, another popular type 2 diabetes treatment, can potentially undermine the benefits of exercise.