Pfizer to discontinue development of obesity drug due to side effects

Pfizer has been developing treatments to target weight loss in diabetes and obesity patients, as it races to target a market estimated to reach $100 billion by the end the of decade

Pfizer Inc said on Monday it is discontinuing the development of an experimental obesity and diabetes drug, lotiglipron, due to elevated liver enzymes in patients in clinical studies.

The company said it will instead focus on its other obesity drug danuglipron, the mid-stage trial of which is fully enrolled.
 

None of these participants, however, reported liver-related symptoms or side effects, there was no evidence of liver failure and none required treatment.
 

Pfizer, like other drugmakers, has been developing treatments to target weight loss in diabetes and obesity patients, as it races to target a market estimated to reach $100 billion by the end of the decade.
 

The company last month reported data for danuglipron, which showed weight loss results similar to those of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic in a mid-stage study testing it in patients with type 2 diabetes.
 

(Reporting by Manas Mishra and Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)