According to the version of the journal Science, the first place in the list of breakthroughs in 2023 is occupied by obesity drugs based on the GLP-1 peptide, such as the popular “Ozempik”. Despite the uncertainty and fears, great hopes were pinned on these drugs.

Version Science The peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the most authoritative scientific publications along with Nature, has compiled a list of breakthroughs in 2023. Research on anti-obesity drugs based on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which was discovered in the 1980s and later used to treat diabetes, was considered the main one.

Obesity (body mass index of 30 and above) continues to be one of the important problems of social health services. In Europe, approximately 70% of adults are overweight; This rate is more than 50%. For a long time, there was no effective and safe medical method of treating obesity, moreover, this field went hand in hand with the widespread prejudice that excess weight is only a consequence of lack of willpower.

“But now a new class of drugs is breaking stereotypes and there are high hopes that they could reduce the number of patients suffering from obesity and related chronic diseases. These drugs have captured the medical field, pop culture and even changing global stock markets. Originally developed to treat diabetes, GLP-1 agonists lead to significant weight loss with mostly manageable side effects. A 2023 clinical trial showed they also reduced symptoms of heart failure and the risk of heart attack and stroke. This “This is compelling evidence that such drugs have a variety of benefits in addition to weight loss.” Science.

Evaluators also highlighted the uncertainty and even anxiety that comes with this major shift in obesity treatment. They realized that excess weight was associated with medical and social difficulties, and that many people who might be described as fat by those around them were actually healthy and did not need to lose weight.

The active ingredient of GLP-1-based injectable drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, which are extremely popular among celebrities, is semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist. “Mounjaro” (Mounjaro) works because of tirzepatide, while “Victoza” (Victoza) and “Saxenda” (Saxenda) work because of liraglutide. Although these drugs are effective, scientists this year said that the same “Ozempik” and its analogues can increase the risk of serious gastrointestinal problems such as stomach paralysis. , pancreatitis and bowel dysfunction There are also concerns (and studies supporting this) that weight returns after stopping semaglutide.

But despite the uncertainty, the scope of GLP-1-based drugs has expanded in ways their inventors could not have imagined, the researchers added.. In particular, these drugs are planned to be used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, drug addiction, alcohol and nicotine addiction. Scientists are already conducting tests specifically involving humans.

“One thing is clear: these new drugs are changing not only the treatment methods of obesity, but also the understanding of it as a chronic disease rooted in biology, and not just a lack of willpower,” the authors of the rating write. .

Another eruption list in 2023 by version Science (The Runners-up category, i.e. “Won Second Place”) looks like this:

• Evidence of weakening of the overturning circulation in the Atlantic meridian;
• Search for geological reserves of hydrogen — ecologically clean fuel;
• Using artificial intelligence for weather forecasting;
• The World Health Organization recommended the new R21/Matrix-M vaccine for the prevention of malaria in children;
• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lecanemab, the first drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease: it slows cognitive decline in people with early-stage disease;
• New evidence that humans lived in America during the Ice Age;
• Astronomers have observed long gravitational waves from supermassive black holes for the first time;
• Improving working conditions for junior scientists;
• The beginning of the era of exaflop science. This year, many teams of scientists will be able to use Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s AMD-based Frontier supercomputer—the world’s first officially recognized exaflop supercomputer—in their research.