Lose Weight Without Drugs or Side Effects

What does it take to achieve a slender physique? In years past, individuals seeking to lose weight needed to spend hours sweating at the gym or subject themselves to chalky meal replacement shakes. Today, there is an easier way, found through a doctor’s prescription pad.

A Technion alumnus has developed a medical solution that rivals injectable drugs like Ozempic but has fewer downsides: a weight loss pill known as Epitomee. The pill was developed by a company of the same name (opens in a new tab) and approved by the FDA in September 2024. It is expected to become available in the U.S. next fall.

“Its innovative approach offers a safe and effective option for patients,” said Shimon Eckhouse, Ph.D., Epitomee co-founder, chairman of the board, and Technion alumnus, in a company press release. “The ability to manage weight through a simple, drug-free capsule opens up new possibilities for those seeking to improve their health and quality of life.”

Unlike injectable weight loss drugs, whose active ingredients are semaglutide (as in Ozempic and Wegovy) or tirzepatide (as in Mounjaro), the pill does not contain any active substance but instead achieves its effects through an innovative design. Once swallowed, the pill expands to form a rigid triangle, mimicking the presence of food and triggering the sensation of satiety. The device remains in the stomach for several hours before passing into the intestines, where it disintegrates. Patients are instructed to ingest the pill twice daily before meals, reducing their appetite during mealtimes.

The key to the pill’s design lies in tiny grains of polymers inside the pill. The polymers absorb water and other liquids from the stomach, inflating to 100 times their original size. Once the device reaches the intestines, the changing pH environment causes the device to dissolve, and the remnants are excreted naturally.

Prior to FDA approval, Epitomee was tested in a U.S.-based study that demonstrated strong efficacy and tolerability. In the RESET study, a cohort of 279 overweight and obese adults was asked to take one capsule of the weight loss pill or a placebo twice daily, alongside diet and exercise, for 24 weeks. Of the subjects who received the weight loss pill, 55.5% reduced their total body weight by at least 5%. Epitomee treatment was well tolerated, with fewer patient dropouts in the Epitomee group than in the control group. Additionally, no serious adverse device effects were reported in the study.

Epitomee has several advantages over injectable weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. The active ingredients in these drugs work by stimulating receptors throughout the body to suppress appetite and lower blood sugar. Their effects are potent, with users experiencing an overall body weight loss of 15% to 20%. However, side effects are numerous and commonly include gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. Patients also risk more serious side effects, such as pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, vision changes, and thyroid tumors, among others.

Though no adverse effects were reported in the RESET study, if Epitomee users do experience unwanted effects, they can immediately discontinue use of the pill, and the effects will diminish after just a few hours. The effects of a weekly injection take longer to wear off. And swallowing a pill, unlike receiving an injection, is painless.

Epitomee may eventually face new rivals: Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, and U.S.-based Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, are both working on orally administered weight loss pills containing the same or similar active ingredients as those in injectable weight loss drugs.

Nevertheless, Epitomee will maintain the advantage of being a drug-free option, free of serious side effects — true to its name, the epitome of a miracle drug.