Adipotide (FTPP, Fat Targeted Proapoptotic Peptide)

Description

Adipotide is a new drug that is showing some promise in the area of obesity research. This drug was initially created as a cancer treatment designed to starve cancer cells of a blood supply so they would stop growing. The effects of Adipotide have shown that the drug actually starves fat cells of blood forcing them to die and be reabsorbed into the body. Initial tests were done on rats and then moved on to monkeys. The results from testing on rats showed a 30 percent decrease in body weight. After four weeks of daily injections of Adipotide followed by four weeks of non-treatment, 10 obese female rhesus monkeys lost an average of 11 percent of their body weight and 39 percent of fat deposits. Most of the loss was experienced during the non-treatment period.

The news isn’t all great where this drug is concerned though. Some of the main negative side effects to this drug included dehydration and small kidney lesions, which left untreated could lead to kidney failure. Once the drug was discontinued, these problems disappeared. However, as the drug progresses to human clinical trials, these side effects will need to be dealt with. Adipotide is still a long way from being available for purchase, but the initial studies do make it sound promising.

Initial studies look promising
Drug has been proven to reduce body weight and fat deposits in rats and monkeys
Fat loss continues even after drug is discontinued
Completely starves fat cells of blood supply so they die

The initial studies on Adipotide sound very promising, but there are some definite concerns that need to be addressed before this drug is available for human consumption. The drug was found to be ineffective for monkeys who were already lean so it also raises the question of if this drug would stop working once a certain weight or body fat level is reached. It appears that Adipotide is going through the proper channels for testing. This could be a great breakthrough in obesity research, but we must all remember the importance of addressing potentially dangerous side effects.