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While you may know deep in your heart and soul that exercise<\/a> is an important part of overall health, some people just have more time, interest, and ability to work out than others. If your relationship with going hard at the gym is more hate than love, there may be some good news on the horizon for you: Scientists have created a pill that mimics some of the effects of exercise\u2014and it just passed its first trial in humans.<\/p>\n The pill is called ENV-308<\/a>, and it\u2019s designed to mimic a hormone that\u2019s produced when you work out. We\u2019re a long way from saying you should pop a pill instead of hitting the gym, but the information we have so far for this medication is definitely intriguing. Naturally, ENV-308 raises comparisons to GLP-1<\/a>s. If the pill continues to pass other needed trials, could ENV-308 replace GLP-1s as the \u201cit\u201d medication for losing weight? Here\u2019s what doctors have to say about it.<\/p>\n Meet the experts<\/strong>: Christine Bonarrigo, PharmD<\/a>, weight management clinical pharmacist at Tufts Medical Center; Paul Sack, MD<\/a>, an endocrinologist at MedStar Health; Mir Ali, MD<\/a>, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California<\/p>\n What has the company reported so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n The news is based on Phase 1 clinical trial results that looked at the safety and tolerability of ENV-308 on 88 healthy adults. Keep in mind, this trial wasn\u2019t designed to see how effective the drug is, but rather because researchers just wanted to make sure there were no horrible side effects or issues.<\/p>\n They discovered that the participants tolerated the medication \u201cwell\u201d and, notably, that there was an \u201cexceptional\u201d gastrointestinal safety profile. Because nausea, vomiting, and other GI issues are common with GLP-1s, researchers were especially interested in gauging these potential issues with ENV-308. None of the participants had serious side effects<\/a> or stopped the medication during the trial.<\/p>\n The study also looked at the impact of ENV-308 on leptin, a hormone that\u2019s released by fat cells to control appetite. People who are obese typically have leptin levels that are chronically elevated. The Phase 1 trial found that the pill reduced circulating leptin, but the findings don\u2019t show that the drug causes weight loss or improves leptin sensitivity.<\/p>\n The company also said in a press release that it hopes this medication can both help people maintain their weight loss and hold onto their muscle mass after a weight-loss journey.<\/p>\n How does ENV-308 work?<\/strong><\/p>\n ENV-308 mimics a molecule called Lac-Phe<\/a>, which is a hormone the body releases during intense exercise and after meals. Lac-Phe helps to suppress your appetite, but it\u2019s cleared too quickly by the body on its own to help with weight loss or weight maintenance. ENV-308 aims to capture the effects of Lac-Phe in a daily oral pill.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the difference between ENV-308 and GLP-1 medications?<\/strong><\/p>\n These medications work in two very different ways. \u201cGLP-1 medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide act on incretin pathways that regulate appetite, blood sugar, and digestion,\u201d explains Christine Bonarrigo, PharmD<\/a>, weight management clinical pharmacist at Tufts Medical Center. \u201cENV-308 is an investigational oral drug designed to mimic Lac-Phe, a signaling molecule produced by the body after intense exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n The hormonal pathway stimulated by ENV-308 is \u201cvery different\u201d from that stimulated by GLP-1s, says Paul Sack, MD<\/a>, an endocrinologist at MedStar Health. There\u2019s also a lot more to explore here. \u201cIt has only been shown to cause weight loss without losing muscle mass in animal studies,\u201d he says. Beyond that, we still don\u2019t know much.<\/p>\n \u201cThe recent Phase 1 results provide encouraging preliminary safety and tolerability data, but we don’t yet have human data showing how much weight ENV-308 can help people lose,\u201d Bonarrigo says.<\/p>\n Who would this benefit?<\/strong><\/p>\n While ENV-308 is designed to help people with obesity, beyond that, there\u2019s still a lot up in the air. It\u2019s possible that this could be a good treatment for people who want to lose a significant amount of weight but are concerned about muscle loss or GI side effects, says Mir Ali, MD<\/a>, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.<\/p>\n But it may also be something that people use alongside a GLP-1. \u201cIt seems that it\u2019s more designed to complement GLP-1s or maybe for maintenance after weight loss,\u201d Dr. Ali says.<\/p>\n When will this be available?<\/strong><\/p>\n While the idea of \u201cexercising\u201d through a pill is appealing, we\u2019re a long way off from that becoming the new reality.<\/p>\n There are a lot more questions than answers with ENV-308 right now. \u201cWe don’t even know what the weight loss effects or changes in muscle mass will be in obese individuals,\u201d Dr. Sack says. Even if everything goes well in clinical trials, Dr. Ali says that it will likely be \u201cyears\u201d before this medication is available to the general public.<\/p>\n
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