Pfizer’s Answer to Ozempic in Pill Form Shows Promise in Mid-Stage Study
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The drugmaker’s stock surged after the results of a mid-stage study were published, showing that its twice-daily pill was just as effective as Ozempic’s weekly injections.
A twice-daily pill being developed by Pfizer to help patients shed weight was just as effective as a weekly Ozempic injection, if not more, according to the results of a peer-reviewed, mid-stage study published Monday. The oral drug, dubbed danuglipron, was tested on 411 adults with type 2 diabetes. Patients who took the pill lost an average of 10 pounds over 16 weeks, according to the study; in contrast, a phase 3 clinical trial of Ozempic found that patients receiving weekly shots lost an average of 9.9 pounds over 30 weeks. The debut of Ozempic, made by Novo Nordisk and authorized in the United States to treat diabetes, set off a craze in the weight-loss drug market, with rivals rushing to make their own versions. “The pie is growing and Pfizer should get a big slice of it,” a Cantor Fitzgerald analyst said in a research note, according to Reuters. The pharmaceutical giant’s stock jumped 5.4 percent on Monday after news of the clinical trial’s results.
