NK2R: A Side-Effect-Free Ozempic Alternative for Weight Loss

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Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are often the most popular weight loss drugs. While these medications help people lose weight, they have undesirable side effects. Now, scientists at the University of Copenhagen have identified a weight loss drug target, neurokinin 2 receptor (NK2R), that could help people with obesity and type 2 diabetes who don’t respond well to the current ones. Keep reading to learn more about the new weight loss drug and how you can benefit.

What is NK2R? A new weight loss drug in development

One of the most significant issues with current glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1s) is the side effects, which include nausea and loss of lean muscle mass. However, the University of Copenhagen researchers may have found a solution with NK2R. They recently published their findings about the new weight loss drug in Nature. 

The team developed an agonist candidate that, when tested in animals, was found to reduce appetite and increase energy burn without causing nausea or loss of muscle mass, which is common in other weight loss therapies. 

“Doses of semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic) can cause a significant aversive nauseating response. However, our drug had no such trigger,” Zach Gerhart-Hines, associate professor and metabolism researcher at the University of Copenhagen and co-author of the study, told BBC Science Focus. “The weight loss driven by our drug also spared muscle compared to semaglutide/Ozempic, which causes significant lean mass loss.”

Why NK2R is different from Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs 

Researchers claim that NK2R works in two ways: first, it targets the brain and reduces appetite. Second, the drug increases calorie burning in the muscles and body fat (which scientists call adipose tissue).

NK2R also works differently from Ozempic because Ozempic mimics the GLP-1 hormone. This new drug targets the receptor it’s named for—a molecule found naturally in the body’s cells—and can influence body weight, blood sugar and cholesterol. 

NK2R focuses on energy expenditure

Currently, “the development of long-acting pharmacotherapies based on the incretin hormones—glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon (GCG)—has been transformative for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes,” the authors of the study wrote. While these have progressed in appetite suppression, there’s still a gap in burning more energy. 

A person’s weight is determined by the balance of energy consumed and energy expended. Eating more food and burning less energy leads to a positive energy balance and weight gain. On the other hand, eating less and burning more creates a negative balance, resulting in weight loss.

Many incretin-based drugs lower appetite by reducing calories consumed. The scientists involved in the NK2R study focus on increasing the calories the body burns. Currently, there are no clinically approved ways to increase energy expenditure, but the NK2R researchers wanted to change that. 

When could NK2R be available for weight loss treatments? 

Since increasing energy expenditure was one of the goals, the University of Copenhagen scientists decided to test NK2R on mice. When activating the receptor, they noticed it safely increased calorie burning and lowered appetite without any signs of nausea. The NK2R activation also lowered body weight and reversed diabetes in mice by increasing insulin sensitivity and lowering blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol. 

It’s important to remember that no trials have been done on humans so the outcome may differ regarding weight loss, reduced appetite and the amount of energy burned. The good news? Researchers aim to begin clinical trials of NK2R on humans within the next two years so if all goes well, they’re hoping it will become available for prescription here in the U.S. sometime after that.

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This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always consult your physician before pursuing any treatment plan.