Under brand names like Ozempic and Wegovy, semaglutide-based medications have made a significant difference in treating type 2 diabetes and obesity.
After a successful phase 3 trial, a new kind of treatment based on the same mechanics could deliver even more impressive weight-loss results.
Like semaglutide, the new drug known as ecnoglutide is glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist . In simple terms, they both mimic the body's natural GLP-1 hormone, helping boost insulin production, reduce appetite, and slow digestion to throttle blood sugar levels.
In a recent trial run by researchers from China, ecnoglutide performed as well as, or even better than, another GLP-1 treatment called dulaglutide .
What may give ecnoglutide an extra edge is that it's engineered to activate a spe