Slimmer Side Effects

Weight-loss drugs have become hugely popular but can cause gastrointestinal issues. A breakthrough could be about to change that and also make treatment more affordable

- ALEXIS KAYSER

RESEARCHERS FROM ACROSS the United States believe they have developed a breakthrough weight-loss drug treatment: two new peptide compounds that could rival popular drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, but without some of the debilitating side effects.

Dr. Robert Doyle, a medicinal chemist and professor at Syracuse University in New York, has been working on the compounds-GEP44 and KCEM1-for several years along with his collabora tors, Dr. Matthew Hayes, vice chair for basic and translational neuroscience research at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, and Dr. Christian Roth, an endocrinologist at Seattle Children's Research Institute.

Recently, they've introduced the compounds at conferences for the American Chemical Society and The Obesity Society. These compounds take a different approach to weight loss than existing medications, which can cause nausea, vomiting and gastric malaise. GLP-1 receptor targeting has been successful for weight loss but can trigger an "unwell" feeling that leads many patients to abandon treatment, Doyle told Newsweek.

"Our approach has been to partner with PYY receptors," he said, "and we're finding that we can trigger significant weight loss with essentially no nausea or vomiting."