Researchers developing a new weight loss drug are looking for people to take part in clinical trials in Bradford.
The GLP-1 drug – similar to medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro – is being trialled at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to see if it helps people lose weight, lower blood sugar and improve overall health.
The trials are taking place as part of a project in which NHS centres are used, and paid, to carry out clinical trials for pharmacy companies.
Chief investigator Steven Lindsay said the medication, which would be taken as a weekly injection, could be more effective and have fewer side effects than those already available.
GLP-1s are medicines that help people feel fuller by mimicking a natural hormone released after eating.
In the UK, there are currently several licensed GLP-1 medicines – including Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – but they are prescription-only.
“It’s relatively difficult to get these drugs through primary care in the current climate so people are sourcing them through private providers, and there’s always a potential issue there about that sort of pathway,” explained Lindsay.
He said one of the issues with non-prescription weight loss drugs was that patients did not receive the holistic care they required.
“You lose weight because you don’t eat as much but if you eat the wrong stuff and you’re not eating very much, you don’t get enough protein in, then you end up losing muscle mass.
“And there’s evidence of groups of patients ending up with an assortment of nutritional deficiencies as a consequence of taking a tablet that stops them eating and then just not eating enough of the right stuff.”
But if the trial was successful it could mean more availability of approved weight loss drugs, he said.
