US drugmaker Pfizer on Friday said it would end a clinical trial of its developmental weight loss pill after high side effect rates caused most participants to stop using it.
A twice-daily dosing of the highly anticipated drug danuglipron was found to be effective, resulting in weight reductions of between 8-13 percent at 32 weeks, compared to a placebo.
But nearly three-quarters of trial participants experienced nausea, almost half had vomiting, and a quarter had diarrhea.
Consequently, the discontinuation rate was greater than 50 percent, compared to 40 percent on placebo.
“At this time, twice-daily danuglipron formulation will not advance into Phase 3 studies,” the US drugmaker said in a statement.
Pfizer stocks were trading nearly five percent down after the morning announcement.
Danuglipron belongs to a growing field of powerful and lucrative obesity medications known as GLP-1 agonists.
JPMorgan analysts have predicted annual sales for so-called GLP-1 drugs to reach $140 billion by 2032, with the market dominated by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
Pfizer won’t abandon danuglipron entirely but instead focus on improving it and changing the dosing to once a day, the…
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