Pfizer Advances Once-Daily Weight Loss Pill After Setbacks

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) is moving forward with the development of a once-daily version of its experimental weight loss pill, danuglipron, after seeing encouraging early-stage data.

The company said Thursday that it will conduct more early-stage trials in the second half of the year to identify the ideal dose of the drug, with results expected in the first quarter of next year.

Pfizer is one of several drugmakers racing to win a slice of the market for GLP-1 agonists, a popular class of weight loss and diabetes drugs. Some analysts expect the industry to be worth roughly $100 billion by the end of the decade.

Pfizer has struggled to break into the GLP-1 market so far. In December, the company discontinued a twice-daily version of danuglipron after patients had trouble tolerating the drug in a mid-stage study.

But Pfizer believes GLP-1s are only "scratching the surface" of what we will see in obesity," CEO Albert Bourla said during a conference in June.

Pfizer's Danuglipron: How It Works

Pfizer's danuglipron is a GLP-1 that promotes weight loss in the same way as Novo Nordisk's injection Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic. The drugs mimic a single hormone produced in the gut called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when a person is full.

Injections from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have soared in demand over the last year despite their hefty price tags and limited insurance coverage.

The pair – along with Pfizer and other drugmakers – has been racing to develop oral versions that are more convenient for patients to take and easier to manufacture, which could help alleviate supply shortages in the U.S.

Pfizer's Obesity Pipeline

Pfizer has previously said it could acquire or partner with a smaller obesity drugmaker.

Bourla told reporters at a conference in January that it was unlikely Pfizer would buy an obesity treatment in later-stage development, especially as the company focuses on cutting costs.

But he said Pfizer was looking for potential licensing deals or earlier-stage weight loss drugs.

Pfizer's update on danuglipron comes days after the company said it is searching for a successor to Dolsten, who will step down after more than 15 years at the drugmaker. Dolsten played a crucial role in developing Pfizer's Covid vaccine.