A Swedish biotech company called Atrogi has started giving people a new experimental pill called ATR-258 to see if it can improve muscle health and metabolism. This is the first time the pill is being tested in humans, and it’s a big step for the company’s research into keeping muscles strong and metabolism working well. The study is being led by Associate Professor Morten Hostrup from the University of Copenhagen and will last 8 weeks. It will involve overweight men who will take the pill every day. The pill is designed to work like exercise by targeting specific signals in the muscles. Researchers hope it will help with fat loss, building muscle, and improving how the body processes energy. Hostrup said, “This trial will help us understand how this new pill affects muscle growth and function by looking closely at the signals it sends to the muscles. We want to see if it can help protect or even improve muscle strength in situations where muscles weaken, such as when people are inactive, get older, or lose weight.” Professor Tore Bengtsson, Atrogi’s Chief Scientific Officer and Founder, added, “Professor Hostrup is a top expert in this area, so we’re excited he’s leading this study. His decision to run the trial shows that our science and technology are strong. We hope to share the results later this year.” This study follows important research published in the journal Cell in 2025, which showed that Atrogi’s approach to targeting muscle signals works and is safe. That research was based on a Phase 1 study with 69 participants. Paul Little, Atrogi’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “Starting this study and giving the first doses to people is a major milestone for us. We’ve already shown the pill is safe in Phase 1, and now we want to see if it can help with muscle and metabolism problems by collecting important data from this trial.”