Soon, a single drug for multiple diseases

Vadodara: Doctors have often warned against the use of weight-loss drugs due to their possible side effects that even include cancer.
But the discovery of a new molecule by researchers at MS University’s faculty of pharmacy has brightened the prospects of developing a medicine that will not only help in treatment of obesity but also anxiety, depression and sexual dysfunction at the same time. Importantly, the drug developed using this compound will have no side effects, the scientists said.
On July 7, the government of India’s patent office granted patent for the molecule named ‘benzazepin-2-one derivatives and the process of its preparation.
“There are a variety of receptors, which are essential proteins, in the human brain that activate or de-activate several functions through electrical impulses. There is one class of receptors called 5-HT2C that regulate appetite, food consumption, anxiety, depression and sexual dysfunction,” said Dr Prashant Murumkar, assistant professor who under founder dean professor M R Yadav carried out the research with research scholars Mahesh Shidore and Jatin Macchi.
The discovery is a result of nearly 8-10 years of research and successful studies on animals. “We received the desired results like reduction in food intake without any side effects,” he said.
The patent has been granted for development of the novel molecule as selective 5-HT2C agonist. Agonist is a drug that activates certain receptors in the brain.
Shidore is currently working with R&D department of a pharma company in Hyderabad while Machhi is a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre, United States.
The research paper has also been published in the reputed international journal – RSC Advances – published by the UK-based Royal Society of Chemistry.
In February this year, the US FDA had ordered immediate withdrawal of a weight-loss medicine Lorcaserin developed by an American pharma company after a study showed that it increased the risk of cancer.