Could a Drug Mimic the Benefits of Exercise?

Scientists are developing experimental drugs that may mimic some of the effects of exercise, including improved endurance, metabolism and potentially certain cognitive benefits. However, major scientific and regulatory hurdles remain.

Regulatory hurdles for exercise-mimicking drugs

Thomas Burris, a University of Florida pharmacologist whose research focuses on diseases that respond to exercise—including obesity, type 2 diabetes and dementia—said the FDA approves drugs to treat diseases, not to promote health.

Progress toward drugs that mimic exercise

There may never be a drug that provides all the benefits of exercise, but research could lead to treatments that mimic specific aspects of working out. Scientists have identified many important exercise-related signals and have developed compounds that modulate them. Some preliminary results have been so promising that doping authorities have banned certain compounds.

Burris and his colleagues focus on receptors that are constantly switched on, even when people are not exercising. Exercise appears to strengthen these receptors in muscle cells, helping improve endurance over time.

Over the years, Burris’ lab has designed drugs that directly increase the activity of these receptors. In mice, the treatment enabled animals to run longer and farther than mice that did not receive the drug. They became “marathon mice without any exercise,” Burris said.

There are also indications that the compound may mimic some cognitive benefits of exercise and help treat heart failure, although these findings have been observed in mice. Burris founded a company called Pelagos to advance the research into clinical trials.

Experimental exercise-mimicking drugs enter human studies

Other training-mimicking drugs have already entered human studies. In June, biotechnology company Cambrian Bio reported that its experimental drug, ATX-304, boosted metabolism and reduced liver and abdominal fat in obese and prediabetic patients.

ATX-304 activates AMPK, a metabolic switch that helps cells sense a drop in energy supply and adjust the production of more fuel. The same switch helps the body sustain activities such as jumping rope or swimming laps. Cambrian hopes the drug will help people lose weight without losing muscle, a common concern with GLP-1 drugs.

Progress meter: 5 out of 10

New drug development often fails because scientists still do not fully understand how exercise benefits the body.