Pramlintide
» Fat Loss, Dieting
Scientists experiment with rats because they are cheap to feed and house. Not because their biochemistry is as close to a human’s as you might think.
“Now that we know the combination of the two works in obese rats, we’re going to see if it works in obese men,” said Amylin’s senior vice president of research, Dr. Alain Baron.
Baron said that pramlintide, when taken alone by humans, triggered more than 3 percent weight loss in experiments, while leptin alone did nothing at all. He said that human tests with the combo will begin this year “to see if it’s worthwhile going forward.”
Amylin faces two enormous challenges along the way. The first challenge is obvious: the drug could achieve radically different results in humans than it did in rats. The second challenge is often ignored by that one-third of the American population that’s overweight and desperate to lose: the obesity industry is littered with side effects and other risks.
3% - how statistically significant is that?
America’s getting fatter but this San Diego biotech might have an answer