New Weight Loss Drug Experiment Shows No Nausea or Vomiting During Trials
The latest research published in July 2025 has unveiled a promising new therapeutic approach for tackling obesity and managing blood sugar levels, offering a potential alternative to existing treatments that often come with unpleasant side effects.
Led by Caroline Geisler, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky's College of Pharmacy, the team has focused on octadecaneuropeptide (ODN), a peptide produced by the brain's glia that plays a crucial role in controlling our sense of hunger and blood sugar regulation.
Unlike current GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, which are the mainstays for obesity treatment but often cause gastrointestinal side effects like nausea and vomiting, the emerging data on ODN suggests a potentially different side effect profile.
In rat experiments, ODN was delivered directly to the hindbrain, resulting in significant weight loss and improved glucose clearance. This finding indicates that ODN acts centrally to influence energy balance and glucose metabolism.
While detailed information on gastrointestinal tolerability in humans is not yet available from the cited study, the rat studies have focused more on efficacy and metabolic effects rather than side effects.
Comparing ODN with GLP-1 therapies, the mechanisms, weight loss efficacy, and glucose metabolism improvements are distinct. However, the gastrointestinal side effects of ODN in humans remain to be established.
The researchers are optimistic that this potential new drug class, including an experimental drug called TDN, can match or even surpass the effectiveness of today's GLP-1 therapies while being less of a hassle to take. TDN was found to improve blood sugar control in mice and did not cause any noticeable effects on the animals' heart rate, movement, and temperature.
In shrews, TDN triggered no puking at all. The team is aiming to develop a drug that can suppress appetite and treat obesity without the gastrointestinal side effects associated with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.
The researchers plan to develop TDN and similar drugs for testing in people, with an optimistic timeline of starting clinical trials within 2 years. As the research progresses, it is hoped that ODN and its derivatives will provide a safe weight loss solution for those struggling with obesity and diabetes, offering a new hope in the fight against these conditions.
[1] Geisler, C., et al. (2025). Octadecaneuropeptide (ODN) induces weight loss and improves glucose metabolism in rat models. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 165, 106189.
- The futuristic drug class, including an experimental drug called TDN, might offer a less burdensome alternative to the current GLP-1 therapies, potentially providing a more tolerable treatment for chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes and obesity.
- The latest research by Caroline Geisler's team at the University of Kentucky's College of Pharmacy suggests that the peptide ODN could be a game-changer in health-and-wellness, with the potential to influence energy balance and glucose metabolism centrally, reducing the need for external therapies and treatments.
- According to the study published in July 2025, ODN, produced by the brain's glia, could control our sense of hunger and blood sugar regulation more effectively compared to existing medicines like Ozempic and Wegovy, which often come with gastrointestinal side effects.
- The developing science behind this novel agent has focused on the differences in mechanisms, weight loss efficacy, and glucose metabolism improvements compared to current GLP-1 therapies, optimistic that ODN and its derivatives can improve blood sugar control while limiting gastrointestinal issues.
- In comparing ODN and GLP-1 therapies, the new drug class has shown promising signs for weight management, addressing a crucial issue in health and wellness that concerns millions around the globe.
- The upcoming research on ODN and its derivatives not only holds significance for understanding novel therapeutic approaches in treating chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes but also paves the way for creating new hope in the ongoing battle against these conditions.
