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Bloomberg

Pfizer is moving forward with a weight-loss pill as the drug maker seeks to crack the multibillion-dollar market for obesity medications and mount a comeback from its post-pandemic malaise.
The once-daily treatment, called danuglipron, will progress to a mid-stage study in the second half of this year, Pfizer said on Thursday, having cleared a scientific hurdle in a small study.
The next trial will be designed to find an ideal dose of the pill, Pfizer said, and the drug will move into the final stage of development if it succeeds.
Pfizer shares rose nearly 3 per cent before paring back in early trading in New York.
The pill is designed as a needle-free alternative to popular weight-loss shots from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
Pfizer has said it expects pills to eventually capture about a third of the obesity drug market, which analysts have predicted will grow to about US$130 billion by the end of the decade.
The pill is designed to mimic the effects of Novo’s blockbuster injectable semaglutide, sold as Wegovy and Ozempic.


Pfizer has struggled to make headway in treating obesity. Late last year, the company halted development of a twice-daily version of danuglipron after high rates of nausea and vomiting led patients to drop out of a mid-stage study of about 1,400 people.
Months earlier, it abandoned another oral obesity drug that showed concerning liver effects in a trial.
The company is years behind Novo and Lilly, whose weekly Zepbound shot is poised for blockbuster sales after gaining US approval last year.
Lilly also has an oral obesity treatment in the final stage of development. AstraZeneca Plc, Structure Therapeutics, and other companies are also developing oral drugs.
Pfizer studied the once-daily version of danuglipron in a trial enrolling just 20 people, according a federal registry, testing four formulations of the drug to determine which might be most effective.
The company did not disclose detailed results of the study, saying only that it was moving forward with one of them.

If the pill is successful it could ease some of the pressure on Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who has struggled to persuade investors that the company’s pipeline of medicines can eventually arrest its post-pandemic decline.
Sales fell 20 per cent in the first quarter of the year as demand plummeted for its Covid-19 vaccine and pill. Pfizer’s financial forecast for this year came in well below Wall Street’s expectations and its vaccine for RSV has underperformed.
Initial reaction from analysts remains muted, however. Pfizer’s long-awaited update on its obesity pill reveals little, and in a best-case scenario the drug could only be launched in 2028, “at which stage multiple competitors might be available”, said Sam Fazeli, director of research at Bloomberg Intelligence.
“Progress here has been slower than expected and offers nothing for now to assess potential competitive positioning,” Fazeli said.


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Science

Pfizer advances weight-loss pill in race to market, hopes to ease post-Covid decline

Pfizer’s weight-loss pill is designed as a needle-free alternative to popular weight-loss shots from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Photo: Reuters

If the pill is successful it could ease some of the pressure on Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who has struggled to persuade investors that the company’s pipeline of medicines can eventually arrest its post-pandemic decline. Photo: EPA-EFE

China approves Wegovy weight-loss drug produced by Danish pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk

Boxes of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Wegovy and diabetes medicine Ozempic are seen at a pharmacy in London on March 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters

The logo of Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk on the facade of its new German headquarters. Photo: dpa

Boxes of Wegovy move along a packaging line at Novo Nordisk’s facility in Hillerod, Denmark, on March 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Construction work at the Novo Nordisk factory complex in Kalundborg, Denmark, on May 24, 2024. Novo is spending US$8 billion to expand its plant in rural Denmark to produce more semaglutide, the key ingredient in its diabetes and weight-loss drugs. Photo: Bloomberg

‘Power foods’ vs Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss – they’re just as good but without the drugs’ side effects, a doctor of nutrition explains

Berries, citrus fruits and melons are three groups of “power foods” that can help in losing weight. A nutrition doctor explains how they work, while we look at shedding the kilos and keeping them off. Photo: Shutterstock

Nearly 1 billion people around the world are living with obesity – a condition that comes with huge increased health risks. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Alice Kong from the department of medicine and therapeutics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Photo: Professor Alice Kong

Dr Neal Barnard, author of “The Power Foods Diet”. Photo: Elliott O’Donovan

The best solution for reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is a low-fat, plant-based diet that excludes animal products and ultra processed foods, Barnard says. Photo: Shutterstock

The cover of Barnard’s book. Photo: Hachette Book Group

Weight-loss drug Ozempic is like magic but has risks, author Johann Hari says. Is it more dangerous than being obese?

British author Johann Hari describes weight-loss drug Ozempic as magical in his new book Magic Pill. Photo: Shutterstock

British author Johann Hari describes weight-loss drug Ozempic as magical in his new book Magic Pill, but also outlines the health risks of using it. Still, he chooses the drug over obesity and its associated dangers. Photo: Shutterstock


Johann Hari weighed about 92kg when he first started taking Ozempic in January, 2023. Photo: Johann Hari

Hari lost 19kg within less than a year of starting to take Ozempic, with his weight falling to about 73kg. Photo: Johann Hari

The cover of Hari’s book. Photo: Amazon

The effects of the injectable weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic last only as long as you continue taking them. Most people regain the majority of the weight they lost when they stop. Photo: Shutterstock

What is ‘Ozempic face’ and how can you avoid it? Hollywood’s miracle diet ‘pill’ used by Amy Schumer, Sharon Osbourne and Elon Musk results in a sunken face – but fillers can help counteract it

Reality TV star Scott Disick’s post-Ozempic transformation resulted in a gaunt-looking face – and he’s not the only one who has it. Photos: @letthelordbewithyou/Instagram

Anti-diabetic medication Ozempic, made by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. Photo: TNS

Julia Fox is critical of using Ozempic for weight loss. Photo: GC Images

Sharon Osbourne has spoken out against Ozempic due to her own bad experience. Photo: @sharonosbourne/Instagram

Reality TV star Scott Disick lost so much weight using Ozempic that his face looked gaunt. Photo: @letthelordbewithyou/Instagram

The side effect has been dubbed “Ozempic face” on social media. Photo: Reuters

Fillers can be used to avoid “Ozempic face”. Photo: Getty Images

Sculptra skin treatment and other fillers can restore sunken faces. Photo: West End Plastic Surgery

Pharmaceutical company Galderma manufactures fillers. Photo: American Board of Facial Cosmetics

News

World

Pfizer expects the pills to capture about a third of the obesity drug market that is predicted to grow to about US$130 billion by the end of the decade


The pill is designed as a needle-free alternative to popular weight-loss shots from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.


Medicine

Consumers

Drugs