After testing, warning issued for new anti-obesity drug
A new anti-obesity drug developed by Pfizer has been found to have a high rate of side effects during a clinical trial that will not continue, according to the announcement made by the giant American pharmaceutical company on Friday.
However, Pfizer has announced its intention to seek a modified version of the drug called “Danuglipron.”
This drug belongs to a new category of successful treatments based on a component similar to the gastrointestinal hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), leading to a sense of satiety and weight loss.
“Dano-glipron” differs from existing competitive drugs on the market in that it is taken orally in the form of tablets rather than by injection.
During the clinical trial, Pfizer tested taking these pills twice a day, but it stated that it plans to focus on a new formulation that is taken once a day.
The clinical trial included several hundred participants suffering from severe obesity and not afflicted with type 2 diabetes.
Pfizer explained that the trial showed side effects similar to those expected from a drug of this type, but “it was noted that their rates were high,” with “nausea reaching 73 percent, vomiting reaching 47 percent, and diarrhea reaching 25 percent.” More than half of the participants who received this drug discontinued the treatment.
However, “Danuglipron,” on the other hand, proved to lead to a weight loss of between 8 percent and 13 percent of body mass in 32 weeks, or from 5 percent to 9.5 percent in 26 weeks.
A statement quoted Michael Dolsten, a senior executive at Pfizer, confirming that “the improved formulation of once-daily Danuglipron could play a significant role in treating obesity.”
Currently, the anti-obesity drug market, which generates significant profits for the pharmaceutical industry, is dominated by the Danish Novo Nordisk group through its drug “Wegovy” and the American company Eli Lilly through “Zyban,” approved by the United States last month.
