Diabetes drug trials help in weight loss
A new treatment for type 2 diabetes is helping patients not only get their blood sugar under control but can also help them lose weight. The medication is currently being trialled at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does not make enough insulin. Traditional medicines work either by allowing less sugar into the bloodstream or by helping the body to move sugar from the blood to the muscles more efficiently. This new medication acts on a hormone in the gut which stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin. It can also help patients to lose weight.
“The injectable form can help with weight loss as well as improving blood glucose levels,” Associate Professor Stephen Twigg from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital said. Overseas trials show the drug is well tolerated and effective. The medication has been approved for use in the United States. It still needs to undergo further testing in Australia before it can be registered.
