NEW YORK, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc on Wednesday became the latest drugmaker to abandon an obesity treatment that works by blocking the receptors in the brain that makes people hungry after smoking marijuana.
The world's largest drugmaker said it was terminating late stage development of its experimental obesity drug, CP-945,598, citing a more conservative regulatory climate and problems seen with other medicines from the same class.
Pfizer had earlier announced that obesity was one of the therapeutic areas it would no longer pursue, but it had been planning to continue work on medicines in Phase III development -- the final stage of human testing before seeking an approval decision.
'While confident in the safety of the compound, we believe that this is the appropriate decision based on all available information regarding this class of agents, as well as recent discussions with regulatory authorities,' Pfizer research chief Martin Mackay said in a statement.
The class of drugs known as cannabinoid receptor antagonists have been linked to psychiatric side effects, such as depression and suicidal thoughts.
Merck & Co last month stopped development of its obesity drug in the class, taranabant, due to side effects at more effective higher doses. Sanofi-Aventis finally pulled the plug on its first-in-class medicine, Acomplia, after European regulators said the drug should be withdrawn from the market.
Acomplia received great fanfare when the first major clinical data on the experimental medicine was unveiled and it was widely tipped to become a multibillion-dollar seller.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration refused to approve the drug for sale in the world's biggest market due to psychiatric concerns, sinking its chances for becoming a major product and casting a pall over the entire class of drugs.
(Reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Bernard Orr) Keywords: PFIZER/OBESITY (bill.berkrot@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223-6030; Reuters Messaging: bill.berkrot.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The world's largest drugmaker said it was terminating late stage development of its experimental obesity drug, CP-945,598, citing a more conservative regulatory climate and problems seen with other medicines from the same class.
Pfizer had earlier announced that obesity was one of the therapeutic areas it would no longer pursue, but it had been planning to continue work on medicines in Phase III development -- the final stage of human testing before seeking an approval decision.
'While confident in the safety of the compound, we believe that this is the appropriate decision based on all available information regarding this class of agents, as well as recent discussions with regulatory authorities,' Pfizer research chief Martin Mackay said in a statement.
The class of drugs known as cannabinoid receptor antagonists have been linked to psychiatric side effects, such as depression and suicidal thoughts.
Merck & Co last month stopped development of its obesity drug in the class, taranabant, due to side effects at more effective higher doses. Sanofi-Aventis finally pulled the plug on its first-in-class medicine, Acomplia, after European regulators said the drug should be withdrawn from the market.
Acomplia received great fanfare when the first major clinical data on the experimental medicine was unveiled and it was widely tipped to become a multibillion-dollar seller.
But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration refused to approve the drug for sale in the world's biggest market due to psychiatric concerns, sinking its chances for becoming a major product and casting a pall over the entire class of drugs.
(Reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Bernard Orr) Keywords: PFIZER/OBESITY (bill.berkrot@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223-6030; Reuters Messaging: bill.berkrot.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.