Pfizer Discontinues Trial Of Its Daily Weight Loss Treatment Pill. Here's Why!

Ireland: Pfizer, one of the world's premier biopharmaceutical companies, on Monday decided to abort the clinical trial of its daily weight loss pill 'Danuglipron' after one patient in a trial showed signs of liver damage, likely to be caused by the drug.

What Is 'Danuglipron?'

Danuglipron is an oral GLP-1 drug, which works by imitating gut hormones to help control appetite and blood sugar.

When Did The Liver Damage Begin?

According to a spokesperson at Pfizer, the patient didn’t feel any symptoms related to their liver, and the liver function returned to normal quickly after stopping the usage of the pill.

The liver issue happened during a study where the drug’s dose was increased rapidly over a short time. 

After looking at all the trial data and getting input from regulators, Pfizer chose to end the development of Danuglipron.

Dr Chris Boshoff, Pfizer’s Chief Scientific Officer, said the company was disappointed but is still focused on creating new medicines, including other weight loss drugs in their pipeline.

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This decision is another challenge for Pfizer as it tries to compete in the fast-growing market for GLP-1 drugs, which are popular for weight loss and diabetes management.

Companies like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are far ahead, especially with their weekly injections, while Pfizer has been trying to develop a more convenient daily pill.

Analysts predict the GLP-1 market could be worth over $150 billion by the early 2030s, with oral drugs potentially making up $50 billion of that. 

Not The First Time For Pfizer

Even before, Pfizer has faced problems with Danuglipron, including stopping a ‘twice-daily’ version in December 2023 because patients couldn’t bear it.

Even though Pfizer was hopeful about the once-daily version earlier this year and said recent studies showed promising results, they still decided to abandon it.

Pfizer also mentioned that the rate of elevated liver enzyme with Danuglipron was similar to other approved GLP-1 drugs, based on data from over 1,400 patients. 

The company had previously cancelled another daily weight loss pill in June 2023 after similar liver concerns. Investors have been sceptical about Pfizer’s chances in the weight loss drug market for a while. 

Pfizer Focusing On Cancer, Obesity Drugs

However, Pfizer is still developing other obesity drugs, including an early-stage oral drug that targets a different gut hormone called GIPR, which started phase two trials last year, and another daily GLP-1 drug in phase one. 

A former Pfizer executive suggested that a GIPR-targeting drug might work better and will be easier for patients to handle. 

Meanwhile, the only approved oral GLP-1 drug is Novo Nordisk’s Rybelsus, used for Type 2 diabetes, which earned about $3.38 billion in 2024. 

As Pfizer recovers from losses in its COVID-19 business, it’s focusing on cancer and obesity drugs to drive future growth, but this latest setback shows the challenges it faces in the competitive weight loss market.

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