Slimming pills are big business. Given that it has been predicted that the number of obese adults on the planet will number 700 million by the year 2050 this is hardly surprising. The slimming pill that works most effectively is going to reap huge rewards for the pharmaceutical company that develops it. To some extent the cost of the drug is less important, after all people are prepared to pay a premium if the drug is proved to work.
There are hundreds of quack slimming pills on the market and three medically licensed drugs, Reductil, Xenical and Acomplia. These three, however, may soon be joined by another contender, and one that is being hailed as the slimming pill to end them all.
Scientists have, apparently, been amazed at the success of a new drug called tesofensine in its clinical trials saying that one pill taken daily can result in an average weight loss of one and a half stone in just six months. The drug targets the part of the brain that is responsible for controlling appetite in much the same way that Reductil does. This results in the patient feeling full sooner and on less food. The weight loss vaunted by the scientists of one and a half stone in six months is twice as much as any drug currently on the market.
So how does it differ from Reductil and how does it cause these huge weight losses? Well the scientists claim that as well as inhibiting the neurotransmitters in the brain, tesofensine also increases the metabolic rate of the patient, which means that they burn fat at a higher rate and, therefore, lose weight more quickly.
The survey was carried out on 204 patients. Some of these were given a placebo, some a daily dose of 0.25 mg of tesofensine, some a 0.5 mg dose and the remaining group a dose of 1.0 mg. The two groups on the highest dose had an average BMI reduction of 4 and those taking a 1mg dose lost, on average, 28 pounds in the course of the six month trial.
Like so many scientific discoveries, the anti obesity properties of the drug were discovered by accident: the drug was originally being developed as an Alzheimer’s cure! It will be years before this medication is available to prescribe but we will keep you updated with any progress.