Pfizer ends development of potential pill obesity treatment
[April 15, 2025]
By TOM MURPHY
Pfizer is ending the development of its potential once-daily pill
treatment for obesity before venturing into the biggest and most
expensive level of clinical testing.
The drugmaker said Tuesday that it would stop studying danuglipron after
a participant in one of its trials experienced a possible drug-induced
liver injury that ended once the person stopped taking the treatment.
The once-daily version of the pill was in early-stage testing, with
researchers trying to figure out the best dose for patients, a
spokeswoman said. The company intended to move the drug into late-stage
testing, which is generally the last phase of development before a
company submits the potential treatment to government regulators for
approval.
A company official said in a statement that Pfizer still plans to
develop other potential obesity treatments in earlier stages of testing.
Obesity treatments have become one of the more promising and lucrative
sectors of drug development for pharmaceutical companies. Eli Lilly and
Co.’s Zepbound, for instance, brought in nearly $5 billion in sales in
2024, its first full year on the market.
But leading treatments like Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy are
injectable. Drugmakers are eager to develop an easier-to-take pill
version for patients who don't want to deal with needles and daily
injections.
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Pfizer signage is displayed at the Pfizer NYC Headquarters,
Thursday, April 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
 Lilly researchers expect to see data
this year from studies of a couple potential oral treatments it has
developed.
While the drugs have become top-sellers, many patients have had a
hard time getting them either due to recently concluded shortages or
patchy insurance coverage. Both Lilly and Novo have recently
announced price cuts, but the treatments can still cost hundreds of
dollars a month, putting them out of reach for some people without
coverage.
Pfizer said in late 2023 that it would abandon a twice-daily version
of danuglipron that had adavnced to mid-stage testing after more
than half the patients in a clinical trial stopped taking it.
A company spokeswoman said the decision announced Monday meant
Pfizer would also stop testing danuglipron in combination with other
drugs to treat obesity.
Shares of New York-based Pfizer Inc. advanced 12 cents to $22.03 in
morning trading Monday.
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