Links To And Excerpts From Two Articles On Superabsorbent Oral Hydrogel For Weight Loss with Links To Additional Resources On Pharmacologic Weight Loss Treatment

In this post, I link to and excerpt from two articles on superabsorbent oral hydrogel for weight loss. The PubMed similar articles links and the PubMed cited links both contain valuable additional resources on the pharmacologic treatment of obesity.

1. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Gelesis100: A Novel Nonsystemic Oral Hydrogel for Weight Loss [PubMed Abstract] [Full-Text HTML] [Full-Text PDF]. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2019 Feb;27(2):205-216. doi: 10.1002/oby.22347. Epub 2018 Nov 13.
   1. The above resource has been cited by 20 articles in PubMed.
   2. There are 61 similar articles in PubMed.
   3. “Abstract Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of Gelesis100, a novel, nonsystemic, superabsorbent hydrogel to treat overweight or obesity.Methods: The Gelesis Loss Of Weight (GLOW) study was a 24-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in patients with BMI ≥ 27 and ≤ 40 kg/m2 and fasting plasma glucose ≥ 90 and ≤ 145 mg/dL. The co-primary end points were placebo-adjusted weight loss (superiority and 3% margin super-superiority) and at least 35% of patients in the Gelesis100 group achieving ≥ 5% weight loss.Results: Gelesis100 treatment caused greater weight loss over placebo (6.4% vs. 4.4%, P = 0.0007), achieving 2.1% superiority but not 3% super-superiority. Importantly, 59% of Gelesis100-treated patients achieved weight loss of ≥ 5%, and 27% achieved ≥ 10% versus 42% and 15% in the placebo group, respectively. Gelesis100-treated patients had twice the odds of achieving ≥ 5% and ≥ 10% weight loss versus placebo (adjusted OR: 2.0, P = 0.0008; OR: 2.1, P = 0.0107, respectively), with 5% responders having a mean weight loss of 10.2%. Patients with prediabetes or drug-naive type 2 diabetes had six times the odds of achieving ≥ 10% weight loss. Gelesis100 treatment had no apparent increased safety risks.

      Conclusions: Gelesis100 is a promising new nonsystemic therapy for overweight and obesity with a highly desirable safety and tolerability profile.

      Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03008954.

2. Recent advances in therapies utilizing superabsorbent hydrogel technology for weight management: A review [PubMed Abstract] [Full-Text HTML] [Full-Text PDF]. Obes Sci Pract. 2022 Jun; 8(3): 363–370. Published online 2021 Dec 7. doi: 10.1002/osp4.574
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   3. “Abstract: Long-term therapeutic benefit of treatments for weight management in patients with overweight (also termed preobesity) or obesity may be limited by variable safety, tolerability, and efficacy profiles, and patient adherence to treatment regimens. There is a medical need for nonsystemic treatments that promote weight loss in patients with overweight or early obesity. This report reviews four different approaches of utilizing superabsorbent hydrogel technology for weight management at varying stages of preclinical and clinical development. The first is a nonsystemic, oral superabsorbent hydrogel created from naturally derived building blocks used in foods (cellulose-based), designed to mix homogenously with and change the properties of the ingested meal throughout the gastrointestinal tract (stomach and small intestine). This is the first-in-class to be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to aid in weight-management for adults with BMI of 25-40 kg/m2 in conjunction with diet and exercise. In contrast, the other three approaches in development utilize superabsorbent hydrogel technologies to support an intragastric balloon-like structure, solely occupying space in the stomach and displacing the meal: (1) a pufferfish-inspired device; (2) Epitomee, a pH-sensitive self-expanding hydrogel device; and (3) a light-degradable hydrogel used to control balloon deflation. These new approaches that utilize superabsorbent hydrogel technology offer a wide range of clinical applicability and have the potential to broaden the weight management treatment landscape. Over time, increasing the number of patients treated with superabsorbent hydrogel technologies will provide important information on long-term efficacy and safety.Keywords: body weight; hydrogel; obesity; obesity treatment; overweight; preobesity; superabsorbent hydrogel; weight loss; weight management.© 2021 The Authors. Obesity Science & Practice published by World Obesity and The Obesity Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.