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A research team at Imperial College, London, has come up with a novel way of delivering naturally occurring hormones that play a part in the regulation of appetite. Having studied the outcome of patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery, researchers have discerned that the reduction in appetite and eating pattern observed is likely to be due to a change in the hormone production following surgery. The reduced appetite is not a direct result of the reduced size of the stomach but of the levels of satiety hormones released by the body.

The research team has found a way of mimicking the effects of gastric bypass surgery by introducing the satiety hormones artificially. The hormone would only need to be injected once a week to provide the optimal effect according to initial studies.

If the safety and efficacy of this weekly injection can be established in wider population trials, this could revolutionise the way that we treat obese patients. Gastric bypass surgery is highly effective but it is simply not a practicable solution for everyone who is overweight or obese. This weekly injection may provide the solution but it is many years away from being an approved treatment.

At the current time we have a daily injection called Victoza that can be prescribed off-label for weight loss patients. Victoza contains one of the synthetic hormones contained in the weekly injection about to be trialled by the researchers at Imperial College. To check if you are eligible to be prescribed Victoza, please feel free to take a free consultation.