Less than two weeks after Pfizer signed a deal with a Chinese pharmaceutical company to gain commercial rights to the GLP-1 drug, the country’s National Pharmaceutical Administration (NMPA) approved the treatment for patients with obesity.
With the backing of Xianweiying’s shot, Pfizer has entered the weight-loss market and done so in the world’s largest country with a growing obesity problem.
Last month, Pfizer signed a deal with Hangzhou-based Cywind Biosciences worth up to $495 million between upfront payments and potential milestone payments. The agreement gives Pfizer the rights to market the GLP-1 compound ecnoglutide in China. Ecnoglutide was also approved by the NMPA five weeks ago for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and is called Xianyida for that indication.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sciwind will continue to lead the research and development of ecnoglutide and the manufacturing and supply of the therapy.
Sciwind said in a March 6 release that Xianweiying, despite being a GLP-1 drug, offers a “precise new route” for weight loss and touted its cAMP-based mechanism of action. The company said ecnoglutide maintains weight loss with “no obvious plateaus.”
In the 48-week study, patients receiving the highest dose of ecnoglutide achieved an average weight loss of 15.4% from baseline, with nearly 93% of patients achieving clinically meaningful weight loss of at least 5%.
Pfizer joins Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in China’s weight loss market. In addition to selling its tirzepatide products domestically, Lilly is partnering with Suzhou-based Innovent to commercialize mazdutide, a GLP-1/glucagon receptor dual agonist that Chinese regulators approved last June for weight loss. Last month, the two companies expanded their partnership with deals for drugs to treat cancer and immune diseases.
Pfizer has struggled to break into the obesity market, but not for lack of trying. In early August, the company retired what was the third and final GLP-1 in its obesity pipeline after releasing lackluster data.
Pfizer then looked outward, acquiring Mezzala in November for up to $10 billion after winning a controversial bidding war with Novo. Metsala’s leading candidate, PF-08653944, leads to at least 14% weight loss over 28 weeks of treatment, results that compare favorably with other GLP-1 competitors, Gugenheim Securities analysts said at the time.
Pfizer is also paying $150 million upfront to acquire worldwide rights to the GLP-1 agonist YP05002 from China’s Yao Pharma, a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Fosun Pharmaceutical.
