Lay summary
Weight loss drugs targeting GLP1 receptors (e.g.Wegovy/Ozempic) provide compelling evidence medical treatments for obesity and are highly effective. However, these suppress appetite which can reduce social interaction and enjoyment of life. They also cause muscle loss, which is highly undesirable, especially in older patients. Further, they have side effects such as nausea and issues with gut motility. We have discovered and are commercialising a new drug that overcomes these limitations. This achieves high level and sustained weight loss without muscle loss. It achieves this by increasing metabolism so there is not reduction in food intake. We have commitment from investors to fund phase-1 clinical trials but need to identify the best strategy for using our drug compared with competitor drugs. Thus, this project will compare our drug alone or in combination with all other major classes of weight loss drugs in preclinical obesity models to define the advantages of our drug.