Pfizer Drug Shows Promise in Helping Cancer Patients Regain Weight

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Pfizer Drug Shows Promise in Helping Cancer Patients Regain Weight

Pfizer Drug Shows Promise in Helping Cancer Patients Regain Weight, Study Finds

A mid-stage study conducted by Pfizer has revealed that its experimental drug, aimed at addressing cancer-related weight loss, may help patients regain weight, offering new hope for treating cachexia, a dangerous muscle-wasting condition.

Cachexia, commonly seen in cancer patients, causes changes in metabolism and appetite, leading to significant loss of skeletal muscle and fat, which weakens the body and can, in some cases, reduce the effectiveness of cancer treatments.

Research indicates that cachexia contributes to about 1% of cancer deaths and affects up to 80% of patients with advanced cancer. Currently, no drugs have been approved to treat this condition.

Pfizer’s drug, named Ponsegrumab, is a monoclonal antibody that blocks GDF-15, a protein expressed in the body during extreme stress. High levels of GDF-15 in cancer patients are believed to be linked to loss of appetite and nausea. Pfizer scientists hypothesized that inhibiting this protein could prevent the onset of cachexia.

Discovered internally at Pfizer, Ponsegrumab represents the company’s continued efforts to develop cancer treatments as it looks toward its next phase of growth. Last year, Pfizer acquired cancer drug manufacturer Seagen Inc. for $43 billion as part of this strategy. With declining sales of its COVID-19 vaccine, investors have been eager for positive news.

In the Phase 2 study, Pfizer enrolled 187 cancer patients with elevated GDF-15 levels to evaluate the impact of Ponsegrumab on weight, comparing it to a placebo. These patients had non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, or colorectal cancer, and approximately 75% were in stage 4 of the disease.

According to results published Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine*\, patients receiving the highest 400 mg dose of Ponsegrumab regained approximately 5.6% of their body weight over a 12-week period. Additionally, these patients experienced improvements in appetite, physical activity levels, and skeletal muscle mass. These findings will also be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference in Barcelona.

Pfizer Drug Shows Promise in Helping Cancer Patients Regain Weight

Charlotte Allerton, Pfizer’s head of drug discovery and early development, noted in an interview that the company hopes Ponsegrumab can help patients gain weight, enabling them to tolerate more treatments and “become more active, which would certainly improve their overall health.”

Pfizer is currently in discussions with regulatory authorities about the next steps in the drug’s development, aiming to begin a registrational study in 2025. The company is also testing Ponsegrumab in patients with heart failure and elevated GDF-15 levels. Furthermore, Pfizer is exploring its use in conditions associated with GDF-15 elevation, such as chronic kidney disease.