Experimental Weight Loss Treatment Trials Halted.

reports that drugmakers Novartis and Sanofi have both “halted work on experimental weight-loss treatments, leaving rival Novo Nordisk A/S with little competition in the field.” Sanofi halted a trial on an obesity medicine in diabetes patients, after patients endured “too much nausea and vomiting, according to John Reed, Sanofi’s new research chief.” A drug designed “to block two proteins involved in absorbing sugar in the kidneys” by Novartis was halted during mid-stage tests after it failed to yield enough weight loss results to justify further work. Obesity researchers face scientific hurdles including “the body’s tendency to resist weight loss and minimizing digestive side effects” as well as social ones including “a lack of coverage among insurers and a perception of obesity as a lifestyle problem.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-04/pharma-s-leaner-look-spells-trouble-for-obesity-drug-research?srnd=premium