China's New Twice-Monthly GLP-1 Shot Helps With Weight Loss In Trails

GLP-1s, or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, are a class of medications primarily used in the management of type 2 diabetes and, more recently, for weight management. They mimic the action of the naturally occurring hormone GLP-1, which is produced in the intestines in response to food intake. While most current GLP-1 medications like semaglutide must be injected once every week, Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals in Beijing, China, is developing a novel biweekly GLP-1 for weight loss.

Bofanglutide, a new biweekly drug, has demonstrated strong efficacy in reducing blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. In a phase 2b randomised clinical trial, researchers wanted to see how well it lowers blood sugar, if it helps with weight loss, and whether it is safe compared to the standard weekly semaglutide injection. They tested 272 adults with Type 2 diabetes in China over 24 weeks, putting them into five different groups:

• Bofanglutide (low dose) - once every 2 weeks
• Bofanglutide (medium dose) - once every 2 weeks
• Bofanglutide (high dose) - once every 2 weeks
• Bofanglutide (high dose) - once a week
• Semaglutide - once a week

The findings of the study were published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Major findings of the study include:

• Excellent blood sugar control even with fewer injections:

All the groups using bofanglutide saw massive drops in their HbA1c. In fact, the groups taking bofanglutide lowered their blood sugar slightly more than the group taking semaglutide. At 24 weeks, blood sugar dropped by 1.87% to 2.32% with bofanglutide, compared to a 1.60% drop with semaglutide.

• Weight loss and health benefits:

Patients taking bofanglutide lost a significant amount of body weight and reduced their waist sizes. The drug also helped improve patients' cholesterol, triglycerides, and certain liver health markers.

• Fewer injections needed:

The study successfully proved that giving the drug once every two weeks works exceptionally well. This means patients could potentially cut their yearly injection count in half while maintaining great diabetes control.

• Side effects and safety:

The drug was generally safe, with no severe low blood sugar or deaths reported. Like all GLP-1 medications, the most common side effects were stomach-related (nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea) and injection site irritation. However, these side effects were slightly more frequent with bofanglutide than semaglutide, but they were mostly mild to moderate and temporary.

How GLP-1s work:

1. GLP-1 enhances glucose-dependent insulin secretion from the pancreas. This means that when blood sugar levels are high, GLP-1 helps stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin, which helps lower blood sugar levels.

2. GLP-1 reduces the secretion of glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar levels by promoting the release of glucose from the liver. By inhibiting glucagon, GLP-1s help reduce sugar release into the bloodstream.

3. GLP-1 delays gastric emptying, which means food moves more slowly from the stomach to the small intestine. This can help you feel fuller for longer and contribute to weight loss.

4. These medications affect the brain's appetite centres, leading to a feeling of fullness and reducing overall food intake.

Bofanglutide is a promising new diabetes drug. It works just as well and, in some doses, slightly better than weekly semaglutide at lowering blood sugar and assisting with weight loss, with the major bonus that it only needs to be injected once every two weeks. Because this was a shorter Phase 2b study, the drug will now move into larger, longer Phase 3 clinical trials to confirm these results before it can be approved for widespread medical use.

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