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I thought AMGN's results with Leptin were VERY disappointing.
Even the PLACEBO results were disappointing. Perhaps THIS is the key to the overall disappointment.
Imagine... 13 weeks of nutrition/exercise consulting, and only 3 pounds lost!
Either the nutrition consulting/motivation was sub-par, or the motivation of the dieters was lacking.
Perhaps the type of persons who enrolled in the trial hoped that a magic pill (shot) would do it all. Perhaps there is NO magic pill that will ever work for any length of time without the presence of adequate exercise. Since exercise affects brain chemicals, metabolism, calorie burn,.... I would assume that trials would need some control over it, in order to have some control over the number of variables.
Anyone who's lost weight with a simple, sensible eating re-training plan such as Weight Watchers, knows that a moderately overweight person will lose 10-25 pounds in 13 weeks, usually averaging at least a pound a week, with a quick drop in the first two weeks. Then, as time goes on, the weight loss slows to a crawl, and people re-adjust their target goal, hopefully at a reasonably healthy level..
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I wonder how the trial would have gone if ALL the participants were ALSO highly motivated Weight Watcher participants, who logged sufficient mild aerobic exercise.
For pro-active dieters/exercisers still 10-20 pounds overweight, weight loss starts slowing down to half a pound per week, then less. I wonder if Leptin would provide any benefit for people at this stage.
Another question. Is there any follow-up of these participants??
Has any long-term benefit been seen?
Will the Leptin users keep their pounds off any better than the placebo users?
Will Leptin be needed indefinitely for maintenance ?
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As to the Leptin users.
If they are severely obese, a 9-pound 90-day loss is merely a fish thrown at a serious health problem, and the 4-pound loss is a cruel joke.
What length of treatment would be needed to achieve adequate weight loss for such people??
Tolerance issues could be dramatically different in such long trials.
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I personally have much more hope for Ligands other products and indications.
As to Leptin, I'm more interested in testing its influence on Type II diabetes. |
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