The new drug takes the old methods used to make other weight reduction pills and refines them considerably, to become the first therapy that is to inhibit the synaptic activity of several hormones, including noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonine. When tested on Alzheimer patients, for potential applications in that disease, the new drug, Tesofensine, induced significant body mass losses, making it an ideal candidate for obesity researches.

 

Tesofensine works fairly simply. By inhibiting certain hormones, the drug makes the body search for alternative means of energy, by simply taking away the sensation of hunger. Because the patient stops eating, bodily fat is the system's next logical choice. As a result, fat gets burned faster and in larger quantities than normal simply because the patient isn't hungry. Regular meals would mean that the food would be ingested and processed, and any surplus stored in fat deposits.

 

As recent studies show, protein-rich foods are very dangerous to public health, considering the high amounts of energy they give to the body. But humans are built not to consume all their energy at the same time, but rather store it, for later use. That's the main reason why such a large part of the U.S. population is suffering from obesity. "New-age" eating habits are wreaking havoc everywhere.

 

Scientists in charge of Tesofensine development say that a small quantity, of 0.5 milligrams, administered daily, over a period of six months, could help reduce weight by up to 12 kilograms (24 pounds). The 1.0 milligram version of the drug is even more effective, but it also triggers more side effects, so further investigations will focus on the first option.

 

Phase III studies are currently underway, as doctors and scientists attempt to get more answers as to how this drug performs on animals. Human clinical trials are scheduled to begin as soon as possible, once researchers manage to gather substantial numbers of test subjects, for thorough compared analysis of the test results.