New drugs for obesity are favorites for the Nobel Prize in Medicine
Nobel week begins tomorrow. During the day, winners in the field of medicine and physiology will be revealed, and among the first there are clear favorites.
Choosing the world’s most important award in various categories is a privilege for few, but the chances of taking it home are in the field of science and research They increase if you already have the Lasker, Breakthrough, Princess of Asturias or Frontier of Knowledge award.
This is a matter for scientists Joel Habener, Svetlana Moisov and Lotte Bjerre Knudsenresponsible for the discovery and development of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, a family of drugs that have revolutionized the treatment of obesity.
The work carried out by Habener and Moisov led to the identification and characterization of the GLP-1 peptide (glucagon-like peptide). Both were recognized Princess of Asturias Prize for Scientific and Technical Research 2024. Knudsen made the development of liraglutide possible. the first GLP-1 drug approved for weight loss.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved liraglutide for blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes in 2009, and the US regulatory agency (FDA) did so the following year. Thus, this molecule became the first drug based on GLP-1 and the beginning of a new era in the treatment of obesity, the contribution of which new scientific data is emerging almost daily.
Beyond obesity
These drugs meant real revolution. Before its development, specialists had no truly effective long-term treatment for obesity.
In addition, they have proven useful in many other pathologies responsible for the highest rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide. For example, reducing cardiovascular mortality because they improve mitochondrial function and reduce cardiovascular risk in people with diabetes and obesity. Also in the prevention of chronic kidney disease.
And they are not the only ones. At the moment, is being investigated would anti-obesity drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide have a different effect? Additional superpower: Inflammation suppression.. If the results are positive, they could be used in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Their Candidates for the Nobel Prize in Medicine are basal ganglia study – parts of the brain associated with motor and emotional control – and discovery of a genetic fingerprint, allowing us to better understand mammalian development.
The 2023 edition awarded the work of Hungarian researcher Katalin Karikó and her American colleague Drew Weissman for developing messenger RNA vaccines crucial in the fight against Covid.