New weight loss pill could burn fat without usual jab side effects

Health & Fitness
25 Jun 2025 • 12:20 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • A new experimental diet pill for type 2 diabetes and obesity works by triggering muscle metabolism to burn fat, offering a different approach to existing GLP-1 injections.
  • Unlike current weight loss jabs, this tablet-form drug aims to avoid common side effects such as gastrointestinal issues, loss of appetite, and reduced muscle mass.
  • Initial animal studies and a small human clinical trial involving 48 healthy participants and 25 people with type 2 diabetes have shown the drug is well-tolerated and effective in controlling blood sugar and improving body composition.
  • Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University developed the drug, a modified beta-2 agonist, to specifically target muscles without overstimulating the heart.
  • The next phase involves a larger clinical study planned by Atrogi AB, the company developing the treatment, to further assess its efficacy and safety.

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