A new weight loss injection dubbed GEP44 is being trialed and could be available by the end of 2023. It is said to work in a similar way to Wegovy and Ozempic but much safer.

Both Wegovy and Ozempic have been the subject of much media hype with celebrities like Elon Musk tweeting how they have lost weight using weight loss jabs.

Recent media articles have tried to reign in the hype by highlighting the potential dangers of weight loss drugs. Although effective, most of the new injectable drugs for losing weight are actually meant to treat type 2 diabetes and have been refocused as a weight loss treatment.

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Semaglutide Injection (Wegovy and Ozempic)

Ozempic and Wegovy are two of the most popular weight loss jabs in the world. They both contain Semaglutide – a drug created to treat diabetes but now used for treating obesity and reducing body weight. 

Unfortunately, their side effects are not so popular and often cause people to cut their treatments short and seek out alternative treatments to use instead.

However, researchers at Syracuse University have recently created a drug that may be safer than Wegovy and Ozempic and are hoping to develop it into an anti-obesity jab.

Needless to say, this news has sparked a lot of interest but it’s still early days. Many experimental drugs never make it past the development stage.

GEP44 – New Weight Loss Shot

So what’s the name of this new weight loss drug that may be destined to set the world on fire? It’s called GEP44 and, like Wegovy and Ozempic, it functions as a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1 receptor agonist)

GLP-1 receptor agonists were originally developed to control blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics.

It quickly became clear loss of appetite is one of the main side effects they present and many doctors began using GLP-1 receptor agonists as anti obesity treatments.

This is what happened with Ozempic. It’s a weekly shot that provides the drug Semaglutide and has been an FDA-approved type 2 diabetes treatment since December 2017.

Due to the drug’s notable appetite-suppressing capabilities, doctors often prescribe Ozempic as a weight loss shot. The FDA permits doctors to use their discretion in this way and use approved drugs for “off-label” purposes.

Wegovy is a weekly weight loss shot aimed at reducing BMI (Body Mass Index) that provides a slightly higher dose of Semaglutide. It became an FDA-approved anti-obesity treatment in June 2021.

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

GLP-1 receptor agonists are synthetic compounds that mimic the actions of incretin glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

The gut releases GLP-1 in response to the presence of food. In addition to regulating blood sugar levels, GLP-1 also lets the brain know there is no longer a requirement for food. The brain responds to this information by turning off the sensation we call hunger.

By mimicking GLP-1, existing weight loss shots, such as Wegovy and Ozempic, can do these things too. They also increase satiety by encouraging food to stay in the stomach for longer before passing into the gut.

Rodent-based research suggests GEP44 has similar abilities but may not present the same risk of side effects. If future research shows GEP44 works the same for humans, the FDA may very well approve its use as a weight loss shot.

The research so far is promising. The obese mice in one study became 12% lighter in response to 16 days of treatment. None of them exhibited any side effects.

Inspired by this early success, the researchers plan to continue exploring the abilities of GEP44 and ascertain its potential value as a weight loss shot.

Wegovy and Ozempic Side Effects

If the researchers are successful, and there are no side effects, many people may prefer to use GEP44 instead of Ozempic or Wegovy.

Side effects are often an issue among Ozempic and Wegovy users. The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea. Reports of headaches, dizziness and high blood pressure are also quite common.

Side effects like these are common to all GLP-1 receptor agonists so, if GEP44 does produce them it has the potential to be one of the hottest weight loss medications of the century.

Unfortunately, GLP-1 receptor agonists have also been linked to cancer and organ harm. There is a lot of controversy surrounding this type of treatment and the FDA insists drugs of this type have appropriate warnings within their product information sheets.

When Will GEP44 Weight Loss Shots Be Available?

If GEP44 ever does become available via pharmacies as a prescription weight loss shot, it seems likely that similar restrictions will be put in place.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are still pretty new and opinions continue to change as new information comes to light.

In July 2013, Diabetes Care published a study exploring the link between GLP-1 receptor agonists and cancer. At the time, the researchers were unable to decide either way, stating:

“Apparently there is neither firm evidence in favor of this hypothesis nor evidence strong enough to rule out any such increased risk based on results available at present.”

However, the results of a more recent investigation, published in a 2021 edition of the same journal paint a grimmer picture:

“In the current study we found an increased risk of all thyroid cancer and medullary thyroid cancer with the use of GLP-1 RA [GLP-1 receptor agonsits], in particular after 1–3 years of treatment.” 

However, unlike Wegovy and Ozempic, GEP44 is not only a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It acts on the peptide YY receptors in the brain as well.

This ability may increase its value as an appetite suppressant. It’s also possible this additional feature may be the reason why rodent testing suggests GEP44 does not cause any of the side effects that are typical to this type of drug.

Is GEP44 Safer than Wegovy or Ozempic?

Early data certainly suggests it may be possible to develop GEP44 into an anti obesity jab that is safer than Wegovy and Ozempic.

When the researchers at Syracuse University compared the abilities of GEP44 to those of the Victoza (Liraglutide) weight loss shot, the differences were considerable.

Although the mice in both groups lost weight, the mice in the Victoza group lost 66% less weight than the mice in the group that was given GEP44.

Furthermore, the mice given GEP44 did not appear to suffer any side effects. However, the mice in the Victoza group did.

The researchers at Syracuse University believe the lack of side effects may greatly influence the viability of using GEP44 as a weight loss shot. This is undoubtedly true.

Happy with the drug’s performance so far, the researchers are planning to start testing GEP44 on primates. After that, the next step would be to test it on humans.

GEP44 Summary

There is still a long way to go before GEP44 becomes viable for FDA evaluation as a potential weight loss shot. So far, all we know for sure is it appears to work well for mice.

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