Pfizer is calling upon lessons learned from one of the first drugs ever made available on the internet—Viagra—as it commercializes a new obesity drug in China.
Pfizer is getting its first taste of the obesity business with partner Sciwind Biosciences as the weight loss drug Ecnoglutide breaks into the Chinese market. But the idea of a consumer-driven market is not new territory for the storied New York pharma, if you look back to erectile dysfunction blockbuster Viagra.
“We are learning a lot, and we are very happy that we are entering this market because I think it is cut for our capabilities,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on a third quarter earnings call Tuesday morning.
He pointed to Pfizer’s work with Viagra, the drug that took on a life of its own and—Bourla claimed—became the first drug available on the internet.
“There are a lot of similarities, people are willing to pay out of pocket for products that they value, irrelevant if they are reimbursed or not,” Bourla said. “That creates dramatically different size in the international markets.”
Pfizer snagged mainland China licensing rights to Sciwind’s GLP‑1 receptor agonist injection Ecnoglutide in February for $495 million in upfront and potential milestone payments. The drug had already been cleared for use in the Asian country, finally giving Pfizer an approved obesity product—at least in part of the world.
Eli Lilly and Novo have been the clear obesity leaders for several years now, despite Pfizer’s efforts—both internal and external—to gain a foothold. Pfizer fought Novo in a bidding war for Metsera in 2025, buying a pipeline of assets that are still years from the market in the U.S. But the Sciwind deal allowed Pfizer to dip its toes into the obesity world while Metsera’s assets and other projects weave through the clinic.
Filling all the categories
Ecnoglutide isn’t the first drug for which Pfizer has drawn on its Viagra experience to market, Bourla said, pointing out that self-pay customers in China can now access migraine medicines like Nurtec or COVID treatment Paxlovid. With that model a success, it was only natural for the pharma to extend it to Ecnoglutide.
Chief International Commercial Officer Alexandre de Germay said things have been going smoothly since the April launch, providing a glimpse at the market segments that Pfizer still needs to address.
“The things that we are clearly understanding is there are very different segments within these overall chronic weight management categories,” de Germay said on Pfizer’s call.
Some patients are looking to lose weight with a more “aesthetic-driven purpose,” he continued, while others have significant weight to lose. The latter group is more willing to accept the side effects that come with weight loss medications but in turn want significant efficacy, de Germay said.
“It is confirming our strategy that if we want to be successful in chronic weight management, you need to have a portfolio,” he added. “You will need to activate all those different channels and the cost of activations of those channels will be amortized across the portfolio.”
The Ecnoglutide launch also marks a pivot for Pfizer—launching a new drug in China first rather than the typically more lucrative U.S. market. Specific to the Chinese market, de Germay said the company had to pursue a diabetes indication for Ecnoglutide in order to have access to more patients via the hospital markets. That was secured at the end of October, with an indication for type 2 diabetes.
Pfizer is also awaiting a review by Chinese regulators that would provide reimbursement for Ecnoglutide for its approved indications. This is a key milestone since rival products already have access to those, de Germay said.
More to come
With the China launch underway, Pfizer still has its eyes on the global market, particularly with the products acquired with Metsera last year. Leading the charge is berobenatide, for which Pfizer is advancing 10 pivotal studies.
“Our goal is initially to establish berobenatide as a potentially best-in-class monthly subcutaneous GLP-1 for obesity, and this is globally,” said Chris Boshoff, chief scientific officer and president of R&D, during the earnings call.
Phase 3 studies have advanced in knee osteoarthritis and obstructive sleep apnea, with initial readouts expected in the coming months, Boshoff said. Pfizer is also testing whether patients can switch from one of the existing weekly injectable GLP-1s to monthly berobenatide.
Also in development is an amylin analog called PF3945, which is being tested in combination with berobenatide in a Phase 1/2a trial.
