Pfizer ends trials of twice-daily obesity pills

Pfizer said on Friday it will not advance a twice-daily version of oral weight-loss drug danuglipron into late-stage studies, after most patients dropped out of a mid-stage trial with high rates of side effects such as nausea and vomiting.

While Pfizer will now focus on a once-daily version, the decision still marks a blow to its ambitions to become an early contender in a booming market for weight-loss drugs that analysts have forecast could be worth $100bn by the end of the decade.

Danuglipron belongs to the same class of diabetes and obesity treatments as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic, and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Approved drugs in that class are injected, though Novo and Lilly are also testing oral versions of their drugs.

Pfizer’s shares dropped 3.4% to $29.45 in premarket trading. Shares of Novo Nordisk erased some of their losses and were down 1.1% at 11.52am GMT.

Pfizer said it will instead focus on a once-daily, modified release version of danuglipron and is “gathering the data to understand its potential profile”. Data on how this version interacts with the body is expected in the first half of 2024.

Danuglipron is among the most high-profile medicines in Pfizer’s drug development pipeline as the company works to replace lost revenue from slumping demand for its Covid19 vaccine and treatment.

Pfizer has high hopes for the products, with CEO Albert

Bourla saying an obesity pill could eventually be a $10bn-ayear product for the drugmaker.

In the current study of the twice-daily version, Pfizer said the drug did, however, meet the main goal of reducing weight in adults with obesity and without type 2 diabetes.

It said while the side effects in the twice-daily version study were mild, it saw high rates of those events in the trial.

It said up to 73% of patients had nausea; up to 47% vomiting and up to 25% diarrhoea.