Pfizer CEO: AI will help with medicine's next big breakthrough

Strategic Acquisitions & Market Expansion - Pfizer is acquiring weight loss drug startup Metsera for $10 billion [1] - The acquisition of Metsera aims to enter the obesity market in Europe, China, US, and Japan [6] - Pfizer plans to invest heavily to win in the obesity space and develop treatments for related comorbidities [9][10] Drug Development & Innovation - Metsera's portfolio includes a weekly GLP-1, a monthly GLP-1, a monthly amylin injection, and a combination of monthly amylin and GLP-1 [6] - Metsera is developing oral amylin and GLP-1 peptides with improved formulation, eliminating the need for empty stomach administration [7] - Pfizer anticipates launching new obesity products as early as 2028 [8] Drug Pricing & Accessibility - Pfizer partnered with the federal government to extend most favored nation pricing to Medicaid recipients, aiming to lower drug costs [1] - The company is working to address the discrepancy in drug pricing between the US and other affluent countries [13] - High deductibles and out-of-pocket co-pays contribute to high drug prices for US consumers [14] Manufacturing & Investment in the US - Pfizer is investing $70 billion in the US over the next 3-5 years, focusing on manufacturing and research [22] - The company will build manufacturing capacity for Metsera in the US to produce obesity drugs domestically [22] - Pfizer has 11 manufacturing sites and two logistics centers in the US and does not rely on imports or exports from China [22] Artificial Intelligence in Medicine - AI is expected to have a profound impact on medicine, particularly in target identification and drug design [23][25][26] - AI can accelerate drug discovery and development by designing molecules and predicting their behavior in terms of toxicology and pharmacokinetics [26][27] - Pfizer is integrating AI into its processes and operations, training employees to utilize AI effectively [24]