Ozempic without the side effects? New drug touted as weight loss game changer

There’s no doubt that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic have been revolutionary — not just for people who want to lower their blood sugar and lose weight but for those who want to control other cravings as well.

Unfortunately, sometimes these benefits come with unsightly downsides such as tooth decay, a droopy face or mouth, a saggy butt and hair loss.

While many of those side effects are due to rapid weight loss — rather than the drugs themselves — the medications are known to cause icky gastrointestinal issues.

Now, a groundbreaking new drug has shown some of the same promise in melting belly fat — without making your stomach churn.

This week in the journal Cell, researchers unveiled a drug — developed by the Sweden biotechnology company Atrogi AB — based on a type of special molecule.

While GLP-1s mimic the GLP-1 hormone the body naturally produces after eating to suppress appetite, this new drug activates metabolism in skeletal muscle.

In a Phase I clinical trial involving 25 people with Type 2 diabetes and 48 healthy humans, the drug was successful at improving blood sugar levels and weight — without those pesky GLP-1 side effects.

Since most GLP-1s are injectables, the fact that this medication comes in tablet form could be groundbreaking to trypanophobes.

“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,” Shane C. Wright, assistant professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said in a statement.

“Our substance appears to promote healthy weight loss and, in addition, patients do not have to take injections.”

Wright noted that the drug can be used “as a stand-alone treatment and in combination with GLP-1 drugs.”

This can be a game changer for people who are micro-dosing drugs like Ozempic due to the sky-high costs.

It could also be impactful now that the Food and Drug Administration has cracked down on Ozempic copycats, potentially slimming options for consumers who have come to rely on budget-friendly alternatives.

Finally, researchers say the drug can boost weight loss without negatively influencing muscle mass or overworking the heart — both crucial longevity markers.

“Our results point to a future where we can improve metabolic health without losing muscle mass,” said Tore Bengtsson, a professor at the Department of Molecular Bioscience at Wenner-Gren Institute in Stockholm.

“Muscles are important in both Type 2 diabetes and obesity, and muscle mass is also directly correlated with life expectancy.”