Pfizer says obesity injection shows promise as monthly treatment in mid-stage trial

Core Insights - Pfizer's experimental obesity drug, acquired through Metsera, demonstrated significant weight loss in a mid-stage trial, with patients losing up to 12.3% of their weight compared to placebo at week 28 [1] - The injection's weight loss efficacy was noted to be 10.5% when considering all patients, regardless of discontinuations [1] Group 1 - The data suggests that the injection can be administered less frequently than existing treatments without losing efficacy, positioning Pfizer favorably in a market currently led by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk [2] - Pfizer plans to initiate 10 phase three trials for the injection, named PF'3944, within the year [2] Group 2 - Dr. Jim List, Pfizer's chief internal medicine officer, stated that the topline results support the potential of PF'3944 as a monthly treatment with competitive efficacy [3] - The trial involved patients transitioning from weekly to monthly injections, with no plateau in weight loss observed after the switch [3]