re: abc tv interview - save time read it now New Fat DrugThere...

re: abc tv interview - save time read it now
New Fat Drug

There is an obesity epidemic in Western countries. Obesity is a contributing factor to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, consequent cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, arthritis, and other health problems. More than 20 percent of Australians are now obese.Doctors have few options when treating obesity. Prescription drugs currently available generally have unpleasant side effects and are not often advised. So doctors tell their patients, in essence, to eat less and exercise more. Only a small percentage of obese people manage to lose weight in the long term because of the frailty of human will.After many years of research Professor Frank Ng of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular biology at Monash University is confident he has the solution, AOD 9604: A new type of anti-obesity drug that mimics the effects of exercise by increasing the rate at which fat is metabolised.AOD 9604 is a synthetic form of part of human growth hormone. Frank believes this part of the hormone is only responsible for controlling the rate of fat metabolism and nothing else, and therefore that the drug is unlikely to have bad side effects.The drug is currently undergoing human trials.

GEORGE NEGUS: Now to those fat drugs we mentioned earlier, ones that are supposed to make you lose weight. The one that finally works will make a mountain of dough for its lucky manufacturer, so the hunt is certainly on. But the question is, will it ever be possible to cut back fat safely with a pill, and what price will we have to pay in cold hard cash and unpleasant side effects? Well, more of that shortly, but in the meantime, here's Dr Nick Carr with news of the latest of these alleged 'wonder drugs' being developed in Melbourne.

DR NICK CARR: More than one-fifth of Australians are now obese, and treating the effects of it has become a massive drain on the national purse. When assessing weight, health professionals use measurements such as waist size and BMI or Body Mass Index. But suffice to say that if you're roughly 20% heavier than you should be, then you're probably obese. Now, it's not exactly a problem for me personally, but when we talk to our patients, we doctors tend to find that we have relatively few options. The currently available prescribed medications have quite a few side effects, and are rarely advised. So, the only call left to us is to suggest, in essence, eat less and exercise more. The problem is that most people find that sort of a change to their lives very difficult. We might keep up a new healthy regime for a few weeks or even months, but eventually the old habits come back, and along with it, even more weight. Not only more weight, but weight that's usually here to stay. So, how do you get rid of it once and
for all? Professor Frank Ng of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University is confident he has the solution - AOD9604, a new type of anti-obesity drug based on part of the human growth hormone molecule that mimics the effects of exercise. After many years of research into diabetes and other metabolic diseases, Frank had a good knowledge of human growth hormone's behaviour and effects.

PROFESSOR FRANK NG: Using human growth hormone to treat dwarf children, the first thing you observe, you find the children suddenly... the fat from the face and body suddenly disappear. So you can quite clearly indicate the growth hormone not only make people grow, but also can reduce body fat as well.

DR NICK CARR: Until now, these types of hormone drugs have not been made into oral forms because they can't survive the digestive tract. Frank's team has overcome this problem, which is a breakthrough in itself.

So, how exactly does this pill work, then? How does it help people lose weight?

PROFESSOR FRANK NG: This particular drug is not affecting the appetite or interfere with nutrient absorption. Mainly it improves your metabolic efficiency, make you burn your fat or remove your fat much quicker.

DR NICK CARR: But, Frank, if people don't change their lifestyle, their diets and their exercise, they'll have to keep taking this pill forever, otherwise they'll just get fat again.

PROFESSOR FRANK NG: People need to be sensible to get good health by doing more physical exercise or physical work, and take your meals smaller portion. That's the way to change your lifestyle first. Sometimes people find it difficult to do exercise because they already so fat, or sometimes because their job wouldn't let them have time to do exercise, and this pill can help them for that period of time.

DR NICK CARR: The next lot of human trials, involving about 100 volunteers, will establish if sustained weight loss occurs when the drug is taken daily for three months. Understandably, Frank has the pride in his creation of any artist or inventor. AOD9604 is very much his baby, but be mindful - Frank DOES have a vested interest. He is a non-executive director of Metabolic Pharmaceuticals, the company developing the drug. I wish Frank and his team luck, but over the years I've seen many drugs for all sorts of conditions come onto the medical stage with huge fanfare, only to fail to live up to the hype. So, at least for now, I think I'll remain healthily sceptical, and for now, eating sensibly and exercising remain your best options for becoming healthily trim.