Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced on Monday that it’s halting the development of its experimental daily weight-loss pill, danuglipron. The decision comes after a patient in a clinical trial experienced a liver injury potentially linked to the drug. While the patient experienced no liver-related symptoms and their liver enzymes recovered quickly after stopping the medication, Pfizer opted to err on the side of caution.
The company emphasized that the patient’s elevated liver enzymes, a common indicator of liver cell damage, were discovered during a trial that involved a rapid increase in the pill’s dosage. Pfizer’s statement highlighted a thorough review of all clinical data and regulatory feedback as the basis for this decision. This setback is particularly disappointing given Pfizer’s ambitions within the burgeoning GLP-1 market, a sector projected to reach over $150 billion by the early 2030s.
This isn’t Pfizer’s first hurdle with danuglipron. A twice-daily version of the pill was discontinued in December 2023 due to patient tolerability issues. Despite this, the company expressed optimism about the once-daily formulation as recently as July 2024, citing positive results from studies evaluating different doses. This recent incident, however, casts a shadow on those previous findings.
The incident with danuglipron follows a similar situation in June 2023, where Pfizer halted development of another once-daily obesity pill due to elevated liver enzyme levels in trial participants. This latest news further fuels investor skepticism regarding Pfizer’s prospects in the GLP-1 arena, a space currently dominated by injectable medications from competitors like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.
Despite this setback, Pfizer assures that its pipeline remains robust, with other experimental obesity treatments in earlier stages of development. These include an oral GIPR blocker currently in phase two trials and another once-daily oral GLP-1 in phase one. The company’s hope rests on these alternative approaches, potentially offering improved efficacy and tolerability compared to danuglipron. The company is actively pursuing these avenues to secure its place in the lucrative weight loss market.
Pfizer’s announcement comes as the company navigates the post-Covid landscape, working to recover from the decline in its Covid-related revenue streams. While the company is banking on its cancer drug portfolio for future growth, its commitment to the obesity treatment sector is clear, even in the face of recent challenges.
