Pfizer said it would not continue – a twice-daily form of the weight loss drug Danuglipron – to the final stage of studies after most patients withdrew from its mid-stage trial with high rates of side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
The new anti-obesity drug danoglibron caused a high rate of side effects during a clinical trial on humans, according to what the giant American pharmaceutical company announced on Friday.
But Pfizer announced its intention to seek a modified version of danoglibron.
This drug belongs to a new class of successful treatments based on a component similar to the digestive hormone glucagon, or GLP-1, which leads to a feeling of fullness and weight loss.
“Danoglibron” is distinguished from competing medications already on the market in that it is not given parenterally, but rather orally in the form of tablets.
In the clinical trial, Pfizer conducted tests on the efficacy of taking these pills twice a day. However, the company has since expressed its intention to prioritize the development of a new formula that only requires once-a-day administration.
The clinical trial included a few hundred obese participants who did not have type 2 diabetes.
Nausea and vomiting
Pfizer explained that the experiment showed side effects similar to those expected to be caused by a drug of this type, but “their rates were noted to be high,” as “cases of nausea reached 73%, vomiting reached 47%, and diarrhea reached 25%.”
Over half of the participants who were administered this medication discontinued their treatment.
However, “danoglibron” has proven to lead to a weight loss of between 8% and 13% of body mass in 32 weeks, or from 5% to 9.5% in 26 weeks.
According to a statement from Michael Dolsten, a senior official at Pfizer, the enhanced formulation of danoglybron, taken once daily, has the potential to significantly contribute to the treatment of obesity.
The anti-obesity drug market, which generates huge profits for the pharmaceutical industry, is currently dominated by the Danish “Novo Nordisk” group through its drug “Wegovi” and the American “Eli Lilly” company through “Zebound,” which was approved by the United States last November.
