Pfizer will end development of weight-loss pill over fears about its impact to the liver
The move comes after a patient in a trial suffered a liver injury potentially caused by the oral GLP-1 drug known as danuglipron.
The patient, who was not identified, did not experience any symptoms and their injury 'resolved' after they stopped taking the drug.
'While we are disappointed to discontinue the development of danuglipron, we remain committed to evaluating and advancing promising programs in an effort to bring innovative new medicines to patients,' Pfizer's Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Chris Boshoff said in a statement.
The Swiss company reviewed all clinical data for danuglipron and recent input for regulators before making their decision.
Its statement also suggested the patient's liver enzymes were elevated. That often is indicative of damage to cells in the organ, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Pfizer told CNBC that the trial rapidly increased the dose of the pill over a short span of time.
The company had previously scrapped the development of a twice-daily version of the drug in 2023 after trial patients experienced vomiting and nausea.
A once-daily pill could have had a competitive edge over other weight loss drugs taken twice a day.
Several companies are developing weight loss pills after surging popularity of the shots that target an intestinal hormone called GLP-1. Ozempic and Wegoy are popular injectables related to CLP-1. Oral drugs are also considered to be easier to make than injectables, as well as easier to take.
Obesity is a serious and common chronic disease. In the U.S. more than two in five adults have obesity.
The investment bank Morgan Stanley said the global market for obesity drugs is expected to reach $105 billion by 2030 — and as high as $144 billion. Comparatively, it noted that sales of branded obesity drugs had totaled $6 billion in 2023.
Pfizer said that it would continue development of an experimental oral drug targeting a different hormone.
'Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including obesity remain important areas of unmet medical need, and we plan to continue applying our global capabilities to advance a pipeline of investigational treatments that have the potential to fill critical gaps in patient care, including continued development of our oral GIPR antagonist candidate and other earlier obesity programs,' he added.
With reporting from The Associated Press
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