Eolo Pharma announced positive results from its first-in-human study of SANA, a novel drug targeting creatine-dependent thermogenesis for obesity and metabolic disease. The Phase 1a/b trial demonstrated SANA’s safety and tolerability, along with early efficacy signals, including weight loss and improved glucose control in individuals with obesity. The study, published in •Nature Metabolism•, establishes SANA as the first therapeutic candidate to safely activate this specific metabolic pathway in humans.
This development is potentially groundbreaking for the obesity treatment landscape. Current mainstay therapies, such as GLP-1 receptor agonists, while effective, often come with side effects like muscle loss and gastrointestinal issues. SANA offers a different mechanism of action, increasing energy expenditure rather than suppressing appetite, which may translate to a more favorable side effect profile and offer a valuable alternative or complementary treatment option. Preclinical data even suggests SANA could preserve or increase lean muscle mass, contrasting sharply with the muscle loss associated with some current treatments.
The Phase 1a/b trial involved healthy lean individuals and participants with obesity, receiving oral SANA for 15 days in single and multiple ascending doses. Notably, the observed metabolic improvements, including weight loss, occurred within just two weeks and without changes in diet or activity levels. Preclinical studies in mice further support SANA’s potential, showing increased lean body mass alongside significant fat loss.
SANA’s unique mechanism and promising early clinical and preclinical data positions it as a potential game-changer in obesity and metabolic disease treatment. Eolo Pharma’s planned Phase 2 trials in 2025 will be critical for validating these initial findings and exploring SANA’s long-term efficacy and safety, both as a monotherapy and in combination with existing treatments. This next phase of research will be crucial in determining whether SANA can fulfill its potential to offer patients a safer and more effective approach to managing these prevalent and challenging conditions.
Jon Napitupulu is Director of Media Relations at The Clinical Trial Vanguard. Jon, a computer data scientist, focuses on the latest clinical trial industry news and trends.
