Scientific deep-dive
Danuglipron: The Oral GLP-1 That Worked, and That 6 in 10 Did Not Finish
Danuglipron's phase 2b study in 628 adults with obesity produced up to 12.9% weight loss against placebo. Only 39.3% of participants completed treatment, with about 38% stopping for adverse events.
Danuglipron is an oral GLP‑1 receptor agonist, and its phase 2b trial in adults with obesity worked: every dose group lost significantly more weight than placebo, by up to 12.9 percentage points of bodyweight.[1] It also recorded something that matters more than the efficacy figure. Of 626 people who received study treatment, 39.3% completed it. About 38% stopped because of adverse events. A drug that produces that much weight loss and that most people do not finish is a lesson about the difference between working and being usable.
What the trial did
This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2b dose-ranging study in adults aged 18 to 75 with obesity and without diabetes. Participants took danuglipron or placebo twice daily for 26 or 32 weeks, with the drug escalated to doses between 40 and 200 mg twice daily over intervals of one, two or four weeks. 628 were randomized; 626 received treatment, 536 of them on danuglipron.[1]
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Weight change vs placebo | −5.0% (90% CI −6.8, −3.2) to −12.9% (90% CI −16.1, −9.5) |
| Completed treatment | 39.3% |
| Discontinued for adverse events | ~38% |
| Discontinued for other reasons | ~22% |
| Most frequent adverse events | Nausea and vomiting, rising with dose |
The twice-daily schedule matters too. No approved GLP‑1 for weight is taken more than once a day, and a twice-daily tablet asks more of a person before any side effect arrives. The adverse events were mostly reported as mild, and they still emptied the trial.
Why a completion rate is a result, not a footnote
The headline percentages are on-treatment estimates: weights recorded after a participant stopped the drug were set aside, and the model projects what staying on it would have done.[1] With six in ten not finishing, that describes people who tolerated the drug well enough to keep taking it. None of this is hidden. The completion rate is stated in the abstract, and routinely dropped from the summary that reaches a reader. It is the first figure to check on any oral GLP-1 still in trials; for elecoglipron, in phase 2, 75% finished their assigned treatment.
Six in ten participants did not finish treatment, and the abstract says so.
The same discipline applies to the drugs you can buy. Our page on orforglipron, the other oral small molecule covers the one that reached approval, and the price tracker carries a dated figure for every seller of the injectables.
What happened to it
Pfizer stopped developing danuglipron in April 2025. Its first-quarter results filing with the SEC lists the program as discontinued and gives this reason:[2]
“This decision followed a review of the totality of information, including all clinical data generated to date for danuglipron and recent input from regulators.”— Pfizer Inc., Form 8-K, Exhibit 99, April 29, 2025
That sentence does not name tolerability, and we will not name it for Pfizer. What the record supports is narrower: a phase 2b trial in which most participants did not finish, followed by a development program that ended. The completion rate stands on its own either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
- 1.Buckeridge C, Cobain S, Bays HE, et al. Efficacy and safety of danuglipron (PF-06882961) in adults with obesity: A randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging phase 2b study Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism. 2025. PMID: 40539310.
- 2.Pfizer Inc. Pfizer Reports Solid First-Quarter 2025 Results And Reaffirms 2025 Guidance (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99) — pipeline update: danuglipron discontinued April 2025 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR). 2025. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/78003/000007800325000111/pfe-03302025xex99.htm
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Where to get GLP-1 online, safely: sellers our editors have checked
These are telehealth sellers our editors have checked. For each one we hold a price, the form the drug comes in, and the states it reaches.
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Embody
A flat compounded tirzepatide or semaglutide price at every dose, from a seller that names its pharmacies
From $79/mo
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Moving between compounded and brand without changing seller
From $179/mo
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Coverage in all 50 states, which most sellers will not confirm
From $99/mo
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