Pfizer moves forward with once-daily weight-loss pill
Adds details on timeframe in paragraph 4, analyst comment in paragraphs 7-8
By Michael Erman and Manas Mishra
July 11 (Reuters) -Pfizer PFE.N plans to move a reworked, once-a-day version of its weight-loss pill danuglipron into clinical trials later this year, the company said on Thursday, after scrapping a twice- daily version of the drug late last year.
The new drug is part of the second generation of weight-loss pills under development by companies including Eli Lilly LLY.N and Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO that will offer patients a more convenient alternative to injections.
Some analysts expect the weight-loss drug market, currently dominated by Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound, to be worth more than $150 billion in annual sales by the early 2030s.
The drugmaker did not lay out an exact timeline for development of the drug. It plans to evaluate multiple doses of the reformulated drug in the second half of this year before advancing it into clinical trials.
Pfizer last year said it was focusing on the development of the new version of danuglipron after it scrapped the twice-daily version because most patients dropped out of its midstage trial with high rates of side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
It had already dropped another daily weight-loss drug, called lotiglipron, due to safety concerns as it raised levels of liver enzymes in some patients.
JP Morgan analyst Chris Schott said in a research note that Eli Lilly's experimental weight-loss pill has a significant time-to-market advantage over Pfizer's and he was still concerned about side-effects from the drug.
He said he sees "a limited role for the asset absent more clarity on the tolerability profile of the new formulation."
Shares of Pfizer rose 2.8% to $29.14 in premarket trading.
The shares closed at $28.35 on Wednesday and have lost more than half of their value since hitting $61 in December 2021, due to a steep drop in sales of its COVID products and investor worries over its pipeline including lotiglipron.
Pfizer said on Thursday early study results supported a once-daily dosing, with no liver enzyme elevations observed in more than 1,400 healthy adult volunteers.
GLP-1s, originally developed for type 2 diabetes, mimic the action of the GLP-1 hormone to regulate blood sugar, slow digestion and suppress appetite.
Other companies working on next-generation weight loss drugs include Amgen AMGN.O and Viking Therapeutics VKTX.O.
Sales of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and pill have fallen drastically from their peak during the pandemic, putting pressure on CEO Albert Bourla to drive growth through newer drugs.
The company on Tuesday announced that chief scientific officer Mikael Dolsten would step down after a more than 15-year stint with Pfizer.
Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru and Michael Erman in New Jersey; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and David Holmes
Mga Kaugnay na Asset
Pinakabagong Balita
Disclaimer: Ang mga kabilang sa XM Group ay nagbibigay lang ng serbisyo sa pagpapatupad at pag-access sa aming Online Trading Facility, kung saan pinapahintulutan nito ang pagtingin at/o paggamit sa nilalaman na makikita sa website o sa pamamagitan nito, at walang layuning palitan o palawigin ito, at hindi din ito papalitan o papalawigin. Ang naturang pag-access at paggamit ay palaging alinsunod sa: (i) Mga Tuntunin at Kundisyon; (ii) Mga Babala sa Risk; at (iii) Kabuuang Disclaimer. Kaya naman ang naturang nilalaman ay ituturing na pangkalahatang impormasyon lamang. Mangyaring isaalang-alang na ang mga nilalaman ng aming Online Trading Facility ay hindi paglikom, o alok, para magsagawa ng anumang transaksyon sa mga pinansyal na market. Ang pag-trade sa alinmang pinansyal na market ay nagtataglay ng mataas na lebel ng risk sa iyong kapital.
Lahat ng materyales na nakalathala sa aming Online Trading Facility ay nakalaan para sa layuning edukasyonal/pang-impormasyon lamang at hindi naglalaman – at hindi dapat ituring bilang naglalaman – ng payo at rekomendasyon na pangpinansyal, tungkol sa buwis sa pag-i-invest, o pang-trade, o tala ng aming presyo sa pag-trade, o alok para sa, o paglikom ng, transaksyon sa alinmang pinansyal na instrument o hindi ginustong pinansyal na promosyon.
Sa anumang nilalaman na galing sa ikatlong partido, pati na ang mga nilalaman na inihanda ng XM, ang mga naturang opinyon, balita, pananaliksik, pag-analisa, presyo, ibang impormasyon o link sa ibang mga site na makikita sa website na ito ay ibibigay tulad ng nandoon, bilang pangkalahatang komentaryo sa market at hindi ito nagtataglay ng payo sa pag-i-invest. Kung ang alinmang nilalaman nito ay itinuring bilang pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, kailangan mong isaalang-alang at tanggapin na hindi ito inilaan at inihanda alinsunod sa mga legal na pangangailangan na idinisenyo para maisulong ang pagsasarili ng pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, at dahil dito ituturing ito na komunikasyon sa marketing sa ilalim ng mga kaugnay na batas at regulasyon. Mangyaring siguruhin na nabasa at naintindihan mo ang aming Notipikasyon sa Hindi Independyenteng Pananaliksik sa Pag-i-invest at Babala sa Risk na may kinalaman sa impormasyong nakalagay sa itaas, na maa-access dito.
