Pfizer said it was moving ahead with one weight loss drug for further testing on Thursday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Pfizer Inc. announced on Thursday that it will move forward with the testing of its modified version of the once-daily weight loss drug danuglipron.
The drugmaker said it had looked at several options and picked danuglipron based on the results of its ongoing pharmacokinetic study. Advertisement
In December, Pfizer discontinued a twice-daily regimen of danuglipron after patients in the study struggled with tolerating the drug in a mid-stage study.
“Obesity is a key therapeutic area for Pfizer, and the company has a robust pipeline of three clinical and several pre-clinical candidates,” Mikael Dolsten, president of Pfizer Research and Development, said in a statement.
“Following a thorough analysis of our previous Phases 2b data and trial design, we believe that with the preferred modified release formulation and future trial design optimization, we can advance a competitive oral GLP-1 molecule into registration-enabling studies, with the goal of addressing the present and persistent medical needs of people living with obesity.”
Pfizer will need to follow through with large-scale clinical trials to show that the drug is safe and effective and then submit it to the Food and Drug Administration for approval. Advertisement
During a conference a June, Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer said, according to CNBC, that GLP-1 drugs are just “scratching the surface of what we will see in obesity.”
