Go away, body in your 20s… Older people in their 80s with great bodies are appearing.

2024-03-26 09:22:45

IT·Science

Entered 2024.03.26 18:22 Modified 2024.03.26 18:22 Paper A4

Maintains muscle lost through sarcopenia treatment
‘Popeye biceps’ is possible even as you get older

U.S. pharmaceutical company Regeneron Research Institute
After age 30, muscle mass decreases by 1-5% per year.
Accelerating aging diseases such as disc disease, arthritis, and dementia

As muscle is lost, body fat increases and obesity rates increase.
Challenge of animal testing of new drug that eliminates only fat tissue

The 120-year-old era is becoming a reality whether we like it or not. What should we take care of in order to improve the quality of life in the second half of life, which has become longer due to lifespan extension? Scientists answer ‘muscles’. This is because without muscles, daily activities are limited and it becomes difficult to maintain a healthy life. This is why large global pharmaceutical companies such as Merck (MSD) and Novartis are rushing to develop treatments for sarcopenia.

Muscle mass in your 80s is ‘half’ of that in your 20s.

The leader in the sarcopenia treatment field is Regeneron, a pharmaceutical company ranked 25th in the world. David Glass, Vice President of Aging Disease Research (pictured), whom we met at the New York office last month, started off with ‘Gibbs’. Vice President Glass said, “When you take the cast off your leg, you can see that the muscle has lost a lot and become thinner compared to the uninjured leg.” He added, “In people in their 20s, muscle mass is easily recovered following just two weeks, but for people in their 70s and 80s, it is a big deal.” )” he said.

Muscle mass usually peaks in the mid-20s to 30s and then decreases by 1-5% per year. After the age of 70, the rate of muscle loss rapidly accelerates, and by the age of 80, only regarding half of the muscle mass remaining in the 20s. Losing muscle increases the risk of developing herniated disc or arthritis. As outdoor activities naturally decrease, old-age diseases such as dementia may progress rapidly. The most basic solution is strength training. However, high-intensity exercise is not easy in old age. What global pharmaceutical companies are looking for as an alternative is a drug that increases muscle mass. There is still no treatment for sarcopenia that has been officially approved by regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A researcher is conducting cell experiments at Regeneron headquarters in New York, USA. Regeneron is ahead in the global race to develop treatments for sarcopenia. /Provided by Regeneron

Speed ​​of development of muscle-loss obesity treatment drugs

Regeneron, which invests more than 30% of its annual sales in research and development (R&D), is focusing on developing treatments for ‘muscle loss obesity’ among other problems caused by muscle loss. It is easy for fat to fill up the space where muscle is lost. This is especially true for elderly people who do not easily regain muscle mass.

Vice President Glass explained, “If you stop taking medication for diabetes or obesity, fat will replenish, but muscle will not,” adding, “Our goal is to have obese seniors lose only fat tissue, not muscle.” He added, “There is still not much animal research data combining sarcopenia and obesity,” and “We are currently preparing a systematic animal test with a research concept.”

It’s clinically difficult, but… “We will develop it”

There have been several attempts to develop treatments for sarcopenia. MSD discontinued the phase 2 clinical trial that began in 2007 following failing to show significant differences from the placebo group. Novartis also conducted clinical trials on adults over 65 years old and confirmed increases in muscle mass and walking speed, but failed to secure statistical significance. Vice President Glass said, “There is still an ongoing debate among scholars who study sarcopenia as to whether muscle recovery means strengthening strength. However, what is certain is that when muscle is lost, a person becomes weak.”

Thanks to the recent ‘boom’ in diabetes and obesity treatments, global pharmaceutical companies are once more putting effort into developing treatments for sarcopenia. This is because one of the main side effects of diabetes and obesity treatments is muscle loss. Eli Lilly of the United States acquired Versanis Bio, which had suffered a setback in clinical trials while developing a treatment for sarcopenia, for approximately 2.4 trillion won.

Vice President Glass said, “There is nothing I can say regarding the predicted timing (of drug development completion),” but added, “I want to say that we are very focused on developing a treatment for muscle-loss obesity.”

New York = Reporter Nam Jeong-min [e-mail]

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