Pfizer halts development of pills to treat obesity

Pfizer is halting development of its potential once-daily pill treatment for obesity, just before the company begins its largest and most expensive phase of clinical trials, CNN reports.

The drugmaker said it would halt the danugliprone study after a participant in one of the trials suffered possible liver damage caused by the drug, which ended after the person stopped treatment.

"The once-daily version of the pill was in the early stages of testing, with researchers trying to determine the best dosage for patients," a spokeswoman said.

The company aimed to move into late-stage testing, which is typically the final stage of development before a company submits a potential treatment to state regulators for approval.

A company representative said Pfizer still plans to develop other potential obesity treatments in earlier stages of testing.

Obesity treatment has become one of the most promising and profitable areas of drug development for pharmaceutical companies. Eli Lilly and Co.'s Zepbound, for example, brought in nearly $5 billion in sales in 2024 — its first full year on the market.

But mainstream treatments like Novo Nordisk's Zepbound and Wegovy are injections. Drugmakers are eager to develop an easier-to-take tablet version for patients who don't want to deal with daily needles and injections.

Lilly researchers expect to receive data this year from studies of several potential oral treatments they have developed.

While the drugs have become best-sellers, many patients have difficulty getting them, either because of recent shortages or uneven insurance coverage. Both Lilly and Novo recently announced price cuts, but the treatment can still cost hundreds of dollars a month, making it unaffordable for some people without coverage.

At the end of 2023, Pfizer said it would withdraw a twice-daily version of danugliprone that had passed a mid-stage trial after more than half of patients in a clinical trial stopped taking it.

A company spokeswoman said the decision, announced on April 14, means Pfizer will also stop testing danugliprone in combination with other obesity drugs.

Shares of New York-based Pfizer Inc. rose 12 cents to $22.03 in morning trading on April 14.

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