Seite wählen

People who are overweight or even obese have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Weight reduction could even prevent diabetes. This is where the Phase II study by Novartis and another team of researchers comes in: a drug originally used for pathological muscle loss and weakness appears to be able to improve insulin resistance while promoting the loss of adipose tissue.
The monoclonal antibody bimagrumab appears to outperform other approved drugs with fewer effects and side effects, according to the Novartis study.
The Novartis study enrolled 75 participants with type 2 diabetes and a BMI between 28 and 40 (grade III obesity).
The drug works by stimulating muscle tissue while blocking so-called activin type II receptors (ActRII). When the receptor from the TGF beta receptor family is blocked, this stimulates skeletal muscle growth. The scientists also found that reducing body fat mass was associated with muscle growth promotion. In fact, participants in the study with diabetes and overweight to obesity were divided into two groups. The first group received extensive dietary and obesity counseling and also received said drug, administered as an intravenous infusion. The second group received only a placebo infusion.
According to the study, the drug group lost an average of 20.5 percent of fat mass, or an average of 7.5 kilograms, while the placebo group showed no signs of losing excess fat mass. The subjects also built 3.6 percent muscle mass during the 48 weeks in which the infusion was administered once a month.
However, the researchers found that subcutaneous application under the skin on a weekly basis was more useful and gentler, as it did not cause a temporary increase in liver and pancreatic enzymes.
The experts conclude from the study, the results of which were published in the journal JAMA Network Open, that ActRII blockade, i.e. inhibition of the ActRII signaling pathway, could be used effectively to treat obesity if the active ingredient bimagrumab has been approved. Concomitant metabolic disorders could also be positively influenced by treatment with the antibodies, which have not yet been approved.

Source: Heilpraxisnet