Popular weight-loss drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes may see a new method of administration after a company developed a tablet version.
Novo Nordisk, a Danish healthcare company specializing in the production of pharmaceuticals, recently announced the successful trials of its new oral form of semaglutide on May 22.
The company is also the producer of weight-loss medications Wegovy and Ozempic.
Typically, these drugs are taken once a week via a self-administered injection.
Novo Nordisk’s latest study was a phase 3a trial of its global OASIS program, which analyzes the impact of daily oral doses of semaglutide at 25 mg and 50 mg. The program as a whole consists of four separate trials that will collect data on the effects of the drug in about 1,300 overweight or obese adults.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, obesity is a serious issue in the United States, deleteriously affecting the health of millions of Americans. Obesity often leads to severe health complications like heart disease and diabetes. In Dallas County, heart disease is the leading cause of death.
The researchers noted that about 89% of subjects who received the drug lost 5% or more in body weight over the duration of the experiment, with the only adverse side effects being some mild to moderate gastrointestinal issues that faded with time.
Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for development at Novo Nordisk, said in a statement that he was proud of the success of the program so far and the prospect of offering alternatives to patients.
“We are very pleased with the weight loss demonstrated by the once-daily oral formulation of semaglutide in obesity. The results show comparable weight loss as in the STEP 1 trial with injectable semaglutide 2.4 mg in obesity branded as Wegovy,” Lange said in the press release.
“The choice between a daily tablet or weekly injection for obesity has the potential to offer patients and healthcare providers the opportunity to choose what best suits individual treatment preferences,” Lange added.
Previously, these medications were only approved for use in adults, but new health guidelines recommended these medications along with bariatric surgery for adolescents, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Semaglutide, the principal element of these weight-loss drugs, continued to show support in reducing, or in some cases, eliminating obesity in children, according to ongoing studies.
