Pfizer advances once-daily weight loss pill Danuglipron to clinical trials

Pfizer announced on Thursday that it will proceed with clinical trials for a reworked, once-a-day version of its experimental obesity pill, danuglipron, in the second half of this year, boosting its shares by 5 per cent in premarket trading.

The drugmaker had previously shifted its focus to developing danuglipron after discontinuing a separate, once-daily pill due to liver safety concerns.

Pfizer has been testing both a once-daily modified release dosing and a twice-daily form of danuglipron. Early study results support the once-daily dosing, showing a safety profile consistent with previous twice-daily dosage studies and no liver enzyme elevations in over 1,400 healthy adult volunteers.

Danuglipron is part of the second generation of weight loss pills under development by companies such as Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which aim to offer patients more convenient dosing options compared to injections.

(With Reuters inputs)