Novel Weight Loss Treatment Targets 2027 UK Commercial Launch Following Successful Trial and Peer Review Paper Publication
- Oxford Medical Products ramps up launch plans for Sirona, a weight management pill designed to bridge the gaps in current treatments, potentially offering both an earlier-stage intervention than GLP-1s and a safe off-ramp for patients discontinuing them to prevent weight regain.
- Sirona has undergone substantial testing, and the resulting data have now been independently peer-reviewed, with findings pending publication in the journal, Obesity.
- 95 percent of GLP-1 users are paying out of pocket for their medication in the UK and are gradually being priced out. Sirona will be available at a fraction of the price of GLP-1s.
- As the UK government places prevention at the heart of its new 10 year health plan, Sirona is poised to offer a new tool in the fight against the obesity crisis. By intervening at the overweight BMI stage, Sirona aims to stop weight gain in its tracks before it progresses to obesity and the serious health risks that follow.
15.10.25. OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM. UK-based weight loss treatment company Oxford Medical Products is targeting 2027 for the commercial release of Sirona following NHS testing, the results of which have been recently peer-reviewed and published in the prestigious journal, Obesity.
The explosion in popularity of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro has introduced a new era of medical weight management intervention, with around 1.5M users in the UK alone. There are, however, gaps in the current treatment landscape, including the issue of patients being unable to access treatment due to skyrocketing prices. Mounjaro, for example, recently doubled in price at the top doses, from £122 a month to £247.50, inclusive of a discount scheme for UK pharmacies offered by makers Eli Lilly.*
Furthermore, GLP-1s are currently only prescribed to those with a BMI in the obese range (>30; or 27 with comorbidities), despite the fact that many of the health risks linked to excess weight begin much earlier in the course of weight gain. This highlights the need for earlier intervention for obesity prevention, a priority echoed in the UK government's newly announced 10-year health plan, which states disease prevention as one of its three key pillars.
These are the gaps that Oxford Medical Products aims to fill with its novel, hydrogel-based weight loss pill, Sirona. As CEO, Camilla Easter explains.
“GLP-1 medications perform an important role in helping those with a BMI in the obese range to lose weight and reduce weight-related health risks. There is, however, a real opportunity for a new style of treatment to work in a complementary way to GLP-1s, in a format that is significantly less expensive, and with better tolerability and therefore more accessible for the majority. Sirona has demonstrated amazing results during testing with UK hospitals, which have now been externally peer-reviewed. Next, we are setting sights on commercial UK release plans, targeting 2027 to make Sirona available.”
Sirona is a dual-polymer hydrogel pill that, once swallowed, rapidly expands in the stomach to suppress appetite by reducing the available volume for food, resulting in reduced caloric intake and weight loss. Sirona will be accessible to anyone with a BMI 25-40, which means Sirona is particularly well-suited to help two key patient types. Firstly, for patients with an overweight BMI (25–30), allowing them to proactively manage their weight and to avoid progressing into obesity and the serious health problems it can bring. Secondly, it is suitable for use as an ‘off-ramp’ for GLP-1 users looking to come off treatment but prevent weight regain, which often occurs once GLP-1 medication ceases.
The now peer-reviewed 24-week clinical trial took place across three NHS hospitals, with Innovate UK funding as part of the Biomedical Catalyst. Oxford Medical Products partnered with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (Southampton BRC), the NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (Bristol BRC), North Bristol NHS Trust and Milton Keynes NHS Trust for the clinical trial. The University of Bristol supported with appetite measurements and analysis during the study. Participants lost up to 13.5 percent of their body weight in just 24 weeks, and individuals with class 1 obesity (BMI 30-35) lost 6.4 percent of their body weight on average. Participants on Sirona consumed, on average, 400 fewer calories per day than those on the placebo. This is significant given the recent government-led research suggesting that a 216 calorie per day reduction among those classed as overweight could reduce the nation’s obesity rate by half.
The external peer review concluded:
“Findings suggest that Sirona is safe and well-tolerated, and that the product and trial procedures are feasible and acceptable to participants. Preliminary efficacy findings show reduced weight and dietary intake with Sirona treatment over 24 weeks, suggesting Sirona has potential as a non-pharmacological treatment for weight management, encompassing initial weight loss and weight loss maintenance through long-term use, to be tested in larger trials.”
Notably, no serious adverse events were reported during the trial. Sirona was well tolerated (95 percent of patients adhered to the dosing regimen at 12 weeks) and demonstrated a fantastic safety and side effect profile. This makes Sirona appropriate for patients who have struggled with adverse side effects when using GLP-1 medications.
Professor James Byrne, Chief Investigator of the study from University Hospital Southampton, says: “Obesity is a chronic and often progressive disease. With obesity rates continuing to rise, these results are an important step towards providing a highly differentiated treatment option. This trial demonstrated Sirona is a safe, affordable, and non-pharmacological treatment to support long-term weight management. Sirona is a simple, safe, well tolerated oral treatment option for people with overweight and obesity with potential to be used either instead of or possibly alongside current anti-obesity medications. This is a very exciting potential option for treatment of both overweight and obesity.”
Sirona will now be tested further in a larger sample of people living with overweight and obesity in a pivotal trial to be conducted in the US and UK. To be among the first to stay updated and join the waitlist today for exclusive news and early access to Sirona’s commercial launch, please visit LINK.
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CONTACT
Ellis Ballard
07725951640
About Oxford Medical Products
Oxford Medical Products (OMP) is developing safe, effective and affordable weight-loss breakthrough technology. The technology is a novel dual-polymer pill designed to suppress appetite and thereby achieve weight loss. Following exciting phase one data, OMP has established a drug delivery programme utilising the core co-polymer technology as a “shell” to deliver small and large molecules to the stomach for extended-release.
OMP is led by a team of scientists, medical professionals and entrepreneurs who have come together to solve one of the world’s toughest and most urgent medical challenges. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Oxford, UK.
For more information: Website | LinkedIn
About the National Institute for Health and Care Research
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
- Funding high quality, timely research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care;
- Investing in world-class expertise, facilities and a skilled delivery workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services;
- Partnering with patients, service users, carers and communities, improving the relevance, quality and impact of our research;
- Attracting, training and supporting the best researchers to tackle complex health and social care challenges;
- Collaborating with other public funders, charities and industry to help shape a cohesive and globally competitive research system;
- Funding applied global health research and training to meet the needs of the poorest people in low and middle income countries.
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK international development funding from the UK government.
About NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre
NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre’s (Bristol BRC) innovative biomedical research takes science from the laboratory bench or computer and develops it into new drugs, treatments and health advice. It focuses on early phase translational research and experimental medicine that aims to improve mental and respiratory health, optimise physical activity, nutrition and weight maintenance in the population, and introduce new surgical and orthopaedic interventions safely and ethically.
Bristol BRC draws on Bristol’s expertise in developing interventions to improve the health of patients and the public. Its world-leading scientists use detailed genetic and molecular data to understand causes of disease. They also evaluate new surgical procedures and analyse large-scale datasets from records collected during routine NHS care. Bristol BRC is unique among the NIHR’s 20 BRCs across England, thanks to its expertise in ground-breaking population health research.
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