Searching for a weight-loss drug but don't like the idea of an injection? Pfizer may soon be able to help.
The pharmaceutical company announced Thursday it's advancing development of its GLP-1 receptor agonist in pill form, to be taken orally once daily instead of injected weekly like popular FDA-approved GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
GLP-1 receptor agonists are a class of medications that mimic the actions of the hormone GLP-1, which helps the body lower blood sugar levels. The drugs were originally developed to treat diabetes, and though they are still used for that purpose, many have become increasingly popular as weight-loss treatments.
Currently, popular GLP-1 drugs include Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound, all weekly injections. Wegovy and Zepbound are FDA-approved to treat obesity weight loss management, while Ozempic and Mounjaro are approved to treat adults with Type 2 diabetes.
Yet to enter the highly lucrative GLP-1 agonist market, though, is Pfizer. And now as the focus turns to weight-loss pills, with both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly developing them as an alternative to their injections, the company is hoping its once-daily version of danuglipron can beat its competitors in the race.
RELATED STORY | Ozempic, Wegovy may be linked to increased risk of condition that causes blindness, new study shows
Danuglipron is a GLP-1 receptor agonist oral tablet developed in-house at Pfizer that the company says regulates blood sugar and has the potential effects of slowing food digestion and increasing the feeling of fullness after eating, which can be associated with weight loss. And although the company said it has "a robust pipeline of three clinical and several pre-clinical candidates to treat obesity," it says danuglipron is the most advanced of them.
Preliminary studies evaluating several modified-release, once-daily formulations of the experimental drug showed "encouraging" data, with one showing "the most favorable profile" as to safety and efficacy, Pfizer said.
That includes the formulation showing no liver enzyme elevations in the study's participants, which occurred with another daily weight-loss drug Pfizer was developing called lotiglipron. The company withdrew that GLP-1 receptor agonist from development due to the side effect.
The company said it's now planning to evaluate ideal dosages of the preferred danuglipron formulation during the second half of the year before advancing to larger clinical trials, which could lead to the medicine's approval.
