TANG PRIZE/Drugs treating diabetes, obesity can do more: Tang Prize laureates

Taichung, Oct. 1 (CNA) Svetlana Mojsov and Jens Juul Holst, two of the laureates of the 2024 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science, said at a forum in Taichung on Tuesday that the GLP-1-based drugs their research spawned could go beyond managing diabetes and obesity.

Mojsov, a research associate professor at the Rockefeller University, and Holst, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, were speaking at a Tang Prize Masters' Forum at China Medical University in Taichung.

Mojsov and Holst, along with American Joel Habener, an emeritus professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, were honored for "the discovery of GLP-1 (7-37) as an insulinotropic factor and the development of GLP-1 (7-37)-based anti-diabetic and anti-obesity drugs," the Tang Prize Selection Committee announced in June.

An insulinotropic substance is one that can stimulate the secretion of insulin in the body.

During their presentations, Holst and Mojsov suggested that the GLP-1 series of drugs currently used to treat diabetes and obesity could actually help Type 2 diabetes patients reduce the risk of strokes, dementia and chronic kidney disease, and one day help the general population with cardiovascular disease and Parkinson's.

Mojsov, who is both American and Macedonian, noted that the drugs in use were the first examples of single peptide-based medicines that can treat multiple human disorders.

She said studies are now showing that the beneficial effects of the GLP-1-based drugs could extend to the cardiovascular system and kidneys and even potentially be used in treating Parkinson's disease.

"This really represents the beginning in which we can see development of other peptide-based therapeutics for treatment of human disorders," she said Tuesday.

Holst mentioned a study that found that semaglutide, a type of GLP-1 "receptor agonist" drug, significantly reduced risks in patients with Type 2 diabetes of having major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), such as heart attacks, strokes, or cardiovascular-related death.

"This is perhaps the most important slide I'm going to show you at all," Holst said when showing the data from the study. "It's really, really, really impressive."

Describing the data related to stroke as "interesting," Holst said stroke is "something you cannot do a lot about," with many other treatments showing insignificant effects in reducing stroke risk.

The GLP-1 "receptor agonist" series of drugs, however, have a significant and very positive impact in reducing such risk, he said.

Aside from MACE, Holst also presented data from studies showing the effectiveness of GLP-1-based drugs in lowering the risks of Type 2 diabetes patients developing dementia and chronic kidney disease, potential uses that he emphasized as being "very important."

Holst noted the "huge job" that lies ahead to determine what should be done for society regarding drugs with such extensive therapeutic uses and potential.

"That is a job for all of us to discuss," he said.

The new applications would extend the uses of the drugs spawned by the research for which they were honored by the Tang Prize Committee.

According to Mojsov, their original research discovered that the active form of the peptide GLP-1 -- GLP-1 (7-37) -- functions as "incretins," which are secreted in the digestive system in response to a meal and then prompt the release of insulin from the pancreas.

In drug form, it can help regulate the release of insulin and by extension control blood sugar levels.

In addition to its role as an incretin, GLP-1 (7-37) also suppresses appetite and thus reduces food intake, contributing to weight loss in obese patients, Mojsov said, which has led to its use in weight reduction medications.

There are currently at least 13 GLP-1-based drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for treating diabetes, obesity, or both, according to the Tang Prize Foundation.

The Tang Prize, established by Ruentex Group Chairman Samuel Yin (尹衍樑) in 2012, is a set of biennial international awards to honor individuals who have made prominent contributions in four categories -- sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, sinology, and the rule of law.