STAT+: Pharmalittle: Pfizer halts development of twice-daily obesity pill; Supreme Court to review Purdue bankruptcy deal
Pfizer is stopping development of a twice-daily oral obesity medication after an underwhelming clinical trial.
And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is rather modest. We plan to promenade with the official mascots, tidy up the leafy grounds, and maybe have a listening party with Mrs. Pharmalot. The rotation will likely include this, this, this and this. And what about you? With some holidays around the corner, those of you who celebrate may want to visit a temple of consumption and stock up on gifts. Conversely, you could remain indoors and binge-watch on the telly. Or perhaps this is an opportunity to check in on someone special and make them smile. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …
Pfizer is stopping development of a twice-daily oral obesity medication after an underwhelming clinical trial, a blow to its efforts to compete in the booming field of weight-loss medications, STAT tells us. The medicine, danuglipron, met its primary target in a placebo-controlled Phase 2b trial, leading to a statistically significant amount of weight lost. But the weight reductions were smaller than those seen in trials of rival medicines targeting the same GLP-1 pathway, and a high rate of patients experienced side effects and dropped out of the trial. Pfizer will not move the twice-daily drug into Phase 3 trials, but will focus on a once-daily formulation. Data are expected in the first half of 2024.
Some leading U.S. obesity specialists say they expect Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug Zepbound will produce the same or similar heart benefits as Novo Nordisk’s popular Wegovy since they belong to the same class of medicines, Reuters explains. The views of the five doctors, all senior physicians practicing obesity medicine at top universities and hospitals, indicate that Novo’s drug is not likely to have a significant edge based on its heart benefits, even though it will be years before Lilly produces similar cardiovascular data. Both medicines are GLP-1 agonists, a class originally designed to treat type 2 diabetes.
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