Pfizer's weight loss drug candidate, danuglipron, helped patients shed between 4.8% and 13% body weight in a clinical trial involving patients with and without obesity, but the drugmaker is canceling research after more than half stopped taking the drug.
The phase 2 study tested four doses of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist among 626 participants, Pfizer said in a Dec. 1 news release.
After taking the pill twice a week for eight months, participants lost between 8% and 13% of their weight compared to the placebo. Among those who received the drug for 26 weeks, reductions in body weight ranged from 5% to 9.5%.
The most common side effects were nausea (with 73% reporting the adverse event), vomiting (47%) and diarrhea (25%). Pfizer said most adverse events were mild, and no serious safety risks were found. The discontinuation rates for the drug were higher than 50%, while the placebo's discontinuation rate was about 40%.