Mª Pilar Fernández Otero (Vice President), Beatriz Berraondo and Alfredo Martínez are the three professors from the School of Pharmacy of the University of Navarra awarded the award Laboratorios CEPA 1999, granted by the Royal Academy of Pharmacy.

The research for which they have been awarded the award is degree scroll "Effects on energy utilization of a novel B3 adrenergic agonist in an obesity-induced model with a per diem expenses from cafeteria".

The researchers fed rats with the so-called per diem expenses from cafeteria (chocolate, cookies, pâté, bacon, potatoes subject chips...) until they became obese. Subsequently, the animals were treated with the B3 adrenergic agonist drug to study how it affected their metabolism, and it was found that they lost weight and consumed more oxygen.

More than four years of waiting for its possible human application

The team concluded that the treatment reduced the animals' body fat deposition and burned their lipid reserves.

As for a possible application in people, the researchers prefer to be cautious: "It has been an experimental work that needs a further study of four to eight years to know if it is applicable to people."

The award will be awarded on January 20 at the headquarters of the Royal Academy of Pharmacy in Madrid.