Tesofensine can produce weight loss twice that of currently approved obesity drugs, and is safe and effective, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The global obesity problem continues to worsen, bringing with it related health risks including heart disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, and cancer.

And whilst gastric bypass surgery substantially reduces bodyweight and obesity-related diseases, the diet pills currently available are not effective enough for those wary to undergo surgery, say the researchers.

Now, new drug Tesofensine promises to prove more successful. The diet pill was originally used as a drug for patients with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease, when scientists discovered that it also unintentionally resulted in weight loss.

The drug works by suppressing hunger, so you eat less calories and your body burns off excess body fat.

The study monitored 203 obese patients who were divided into 2 groups and given either Tesofensine or a placebo, every day for 6 months. They found that those given 1 mg of the diet pill lost on average 12.8kg – around 28 pounds – over the 6 month period. That’s twice as effective of popular obesity drugs sibutramine and rimonabant. There were side effects though, including dry mouth, nausea, constipation, hard stools, diarrhoea, and insomnia – but people who took 0.5 mg doses experienced similar weight loss with fewer side effects.

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