It might sound bonkers, but swallowing a pill containing a mix of gels could help you lose weight.
A ‘new generation’ treatment may help patients shed up to 10 per cent of their body weight in just three months — faster than blockbuster jabs like Ozempic.
Diet pills have a chequered history and only one is approved for NHS use in the UK — Xenical — which is not hugely popular because of its mode of operation.
The drug stops fat being absorbed, so that it passes straight through the body.
However, this process can give rise to unpleasant stomach or bowel issues like diarrhoea, which studies suggest have caused people to stop taking it.
Yet, thousands of slimmers trying a new weight-loss pill called Sirona — so far available only as a trial on the NHS — are yet to report any adverse side effects.
The capsule, which is taken in the morning with a glass of water, absorbs the liquid and expands in the stomach within just 30 minutes.
This mass of gel takes up space in the stomach, making the patient feel physically fuller and, in theory, leading them to eat less and then lose weight.
Thousands of slimmers who have tried the new pill called Sirona — available only as a trial on the NHS so far — are yet to report any adverse side effects
The capsule, which is taken first thing in the morning with a glass of water, absorbs the water and expands in the stomach within just 30 minutes. It is designed to make the patient feel fuller so, in theory, they eat less
One trial participant’s body mass index (BMI) reportedly dropped from 37.7 — firmly in the obese category and at increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and a range of other health conditions — to 31.2 in just 12 weeks.
Once the gel has done its job it isn’t absorbed by the body.
Instead, after remaining in the stomach for several days, the material deflates and goes through the small intestine and into the colon where it is broken down.
What material is left then passes out of the body in the faeces.
Milton Keynes-based NHS endocrinologist Dr Asif Humayun, who was involved in the NHS trial, said: ‘Sirona represents a new generation in weight-loss therapeutics, specifically for obese patients and their resulting comorbidities.’
Dr Camilla Easter, chief executive of Oxford Medical Products, which manufactures the capsule, added: ‘Data from our 12-week placebo-controlled trial confirms Sirona’s unique potential in weight management.
‘As a highly differentiated, weight loss injection complementary technology, Sirona addresses two critical gaps: supporting overweight individuals and preventing weight regain after injection treatment.’
The three-month clinical trial involved 9,500 obese patients at three NHS hospitals in the south-east and west of England.
Pictured, Oxford Medical Products, CEO Dr Camilla Easter (left), chief medical officer Professor Hutan Ashrafian (centre) and chief strategy officer Dr Xue Min (right)
It found participants lost 7.9lbs (3.6kg) on average, equivalent to about 10 per cent of their body weight in just under three months.
By comparison, those without any structured diet or lifestyle intervention in the placebo group only lost 4.6 per cent of their body weight on average.
Participants on Sirona were also found to consume on average 400 calories fewer per day and reported no serious adverse events.
One major tria from 2022l of semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic — showed it could help users shed around 3.6 per cent of their body weight over three months.
The same study found tirzepatide — the ingredient behind Mounjaro — could help users lose around 5.9 per cent of their body weight in 12 weeks.
Oxford Medical Products is planning on running further studies on Sirona in larger trials with more patients in both the US and the UK later this year.
They are aiming for the pill to be used mainly as a broad weight-loss aid to be used in conjunction with diet and exercise.
However, they also hope that Sirona will fill a gap in the market by being made available to people who are overweight but not obese.
This will differentiate it from weight-loss jabs, known medically as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, which are currently only approved for obese patients.
And rather than compete with the injections, Oxford Medical Products hopes they can be used to help patients taking medications like semaglutide keep their weight off in the long term.
Evidence shows that those who stop taking GLP-1 medications can experience significant amounts of weight regain.
At least half a million NHS patients and some 15million in the US are now thought to be using the weight loss injections.
However, like any drug, side effects are wide-ranging and include issues like nausea and abdominal pain as well as severe digestive problems and even bone pain.
Doctors have also warned they are treating increasing numbers of slim women who have become seriously ill after taking jabs they have secured by falsely telling online chemists they are obese to pass eligibility checks for the injections.
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