A treatment for diabetes that causes weight loss

A British study said that the drug “Semaglutide” used to treat type 2 diabetes causes a loss of a fifth of the total body weight.

And 1964 participants from 16 countries received the drug in the form of an injection of 2.4 mg once a week, and according to the data, three quarters of the people who took it lost more than 10% of their body weight, according to what was reported by “Pharma Times”.

The two groups saw a decrease in waist circumference, blood lipids, blood sugar and blood pressure, in addition to that, the participants ’heart function and general health improved.

The drug “Semaglutide” affects the appetite center in the brain, which leads to less feeling of hunger and lowering of calories.

The drug is prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes in a dose of 1 mg. The results of the study can help treat excess weight without resorting to surgery.

One of the study authors, a professor specializing in obesity, diabetes and endocrinology at the University of California, Rachel Batterham, said: “The results of this study represent a major achievement for improving the health of obese people.”

“No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss, it really is a game changer. And for the first time, people can achieve with medication what was only possible with weight-loss surgery,” she added.

The researchers applied for approval from the European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration, to officially use the drug in treating obesity.