Pfizer on Friday said it would stop developing the twice-daily version of its experimental weight loss pill after obese patients taking the drug lost weight but had trouble tolerating the drug in a mid-stage clinical study.
The company is betting on a successful weight loss pill to help it rebound from plummeting demand for its Covid products and a roughly 40% share price drop this year.
Pfizer's phase two trial on its twice-daily pill followed around 600 obese adults who did not have Type 2 diabetes.
Meanwhile, placebo-adjusted weight loss was 8% to 13% at 32 weeks and 5% to 9.5% at 26 weeks, Pfizer said.
No new safety issues were observed, and danuglipron was not associated with increased liver enzymes like Pfizer's other discontinued weight loss pill.
Persons:
Albert Bourla, Eli Lilly, danuglipron
Organizations:
Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Nordisk's Wegovy