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Fat exposure raised OPA1 in male mice and not females. An approved obesity drug then worked much more weakly in OPA1-deficient females — which is the finding with practical teeth.
Activate GIPR in the brainstem and appetite falls. Block it in the hypothalamus and fullness signals work better. Two opposite drugs, two circuits, same outcome — and two companies betting on each.
12.1% weight loss from a chemically manufactured tablet. The molecule being small rather than a peptide is what would change who can get these drugs.
The brain treats weight loss as a survival threat and pushes back with hunger, cravings and reduced energy expenditure. That is why the drugs work only while taken.
Three receptors instead of two. Around 30% weight loss in the first trial, 21–23% in patients with diabetes and heart disease — and that difference is expected.
The allegation is comparing top doses against original lower ones. Whether that is misleading depends on what a fair comparison would even look like.