Pfizer is discontinuing development of its potential once-daily pill treatment for obesity. This comes shortly before the company embarks on its largest and most expensive level of clinical trials, CNN reports.
The drugmaker said it would stop the danugliprone study after a participant in one of the trials suffered possible liver damage caused by the drug, which ended after the person stopped taking the treatment.
"The once-daily version of the pill was in the early stages of testing, with researchers trying to establish the best dose for patients," a spokeswoman said.
The company intended to move to late-stage testing, which is typically the last phase of development before a company submits a potential treatment to state regulators for approval.
A company representative said Pfizer still plans to develop other potential obesity treatments in earlier stages of testing.
Treating obesity has become one of the most promising and lucrative drug development sectors for pharmaceutical companies. Eli Lilly and Co.'s Zepbound, for example, brought in nearly $5 billion in sales in 2024 - the first full year on the market.
But leading treatments like Novo Nordisk's Zepbound and Wegovy are injectables. Drugmakers are eager to develop an easier-to-take tablet version for patients who don't want to deal with needles and daily injections.
Lilly researchers expect to receive data this year from studies of several potential oral treatments they have developed.
While the drugs have become best sellers, many patients are having difficulty getting them either because of recently ended shortages or because of uneven insurance coverage. Both Lilly and Novo recently announced price cuts, but the treatment can still cost hundreds of dollars a month, making it unaffordable for some people without coverage.
In late 2023, Pfizer said it would drop a twice-daily version of danugliprone that had gone into a mid-stage trial after more than half the patients in a clinical trial stopped taking it.
A company spokeswoman said the decision, announced April 14, means Pfizer will also stop testing danugliprone in combination with other obesity drugs.
Shares of New York-based Pfizer Inc. rose 12 cents to $22.03 in morning trading on April 14. | BGNES