Pfizer plans to move a version of its weight-loss pill danuglipron into clinical trials later this year, the company said on Thursday.
The pharmaceutical giant said it would begin studies evaluating different doses of the treatment later this year.
The drug is taken once a day and could mean that patients do not have to inject – the common method for consuming other weight-loss medications such as Wegovy.
Pfizer said that it had seen “encouraging” data in an ongoing early-stage study.
The firm did not lay out an exact timeline for development of the drug.
It plans to evaluate multiple doses of the reformulated drug in the second half of this year before advancing it into clinical trials.
Pfizer last year said it was focusing on the development of the new version of danuglipron after it scrapped the twice-daily version because most patients dropped out of its trial with high rates of side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
The new drug is part of the second generation of weight-loss pills under development by companies that will offer patients a more convenient alternative to injections.
The weight loss market is currently dominated by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, who produce Wegovy and Mounjaro respectively.
All of the new generation of weight loss drugs work by mimicking the action of the GLP-1 hormone to regulate blood sugar, slow digestion and suppress appetite.
Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer and President at Pfizer, said: “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.”
