Pfizer selects once-daily obesity drug for advancement
James Spargo | July 12, 2024 | News story | Research and Development | Obesity, Pfizer Inc, clinical trials, obesity
Pfizer has announced the selection of its preferred once-daily modified release formulation for danuglipron, with a plan to conduct dose optimisation studies in late 2024.
Danuglipron, an oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, is shown to keep blood sugar at healthy levels by increasing the amount of insulin released. It has also displayed other effects such as the slowing down of the digestive system and increasing the feeling of fullness after eating – both of which may be associated with weight loss.
The drug is currently in an open-label, randomised study in more than 1,400 participants aged 18 years or over, evaluating its pharmacokinetics and safety of immediate- and modified-release formulations. At this time, the study results have been supportive of a once-daily dose.
“Obesity is a key therapeutic area for Pfizer, and the company has a robust pipeline of three clinical and several pre-clinical candidates. The most advanced of them, danuglipron, has demonstrated good efficacy in a twice-daily formulation, and we believe a once-daily formulation has the potential to have a competitive profile in the oral GLP-1 space,” said Mikael Dolsten MD PhD, chief scientific officer and president, Pfizer research and development. “Following a thorough analysis of our previous phase 2b data and trial design, we believe that with the preferred modified release formulation and future trial design optimisation, we can advance a competitive oral GLP-1 molecule into registration-enabling studies, with the goal of addressing the present and persistent medical needs of people living with obesity.”
James Spargo
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