Pfizer Shifts Strategy After Danuglipron Discontinuation, Seeks Cardiovascular Metabolic Acquisitions

Pfizer, a prominent pharmaceutical company, has announced a strategic shift following the discontinuation of its oral weight-loss drug, Danuglipron. The company revealed in its first-quarter 2025 earnings report that it plans to accelerate its entry into the cardiovascular metabolic field through acquisitions or collaborations to fill the product line gap left by Danuglipron.

The earnings report showed that Pfizer's first-quarter revenue of $13.7 billion, down 8% year-on-year, fell short of market expectations. However, the adjusted earnings per share exceeded expectations, and the company maintained its annual profit guidance ceiling. The performance of COVID-19 products was mixed, with the oral drug Paxlovid generating $0.491 billion, significantly lower than the expected $0.902 billion. Conversely, the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty, developed in collaboration with BioNTech, contributed $0.565 billion, surpassing analysts' predictions of $0.3255 billion.

Core drugs, such as the anticoagulant Eliquis, developed in partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb, experienced a 4% year-on-year sales decline due to pricing pressures. To address these performance fluctuations, Pfizer has upgraded its cost management plan, aiming to achieve an additional $1.2 billion in net cost savings by the end of 2025, with an expected cumulative savings of $5.7 billion by the end of 2027.

In mid-April, Pfizer announced the termination of Danuglipron's development due to cases of liver damage in dosage optimization trials. This marks the company's first candidate drug failure in the obesity treatment field. Pfizer's CEO, Albert Bourla, stated during the earnings report conference call that halting Danuglipron was a prudent decision. The company plans to build a product matrix in the cardiovascular metabolic field through internal research and external collaborations.

Edmund Ingham, head of Haggerston BioHealth investment group, noted that while Pfizer's core business revenue has declined year-on-year, the cost control measures have significantly boosted shareholder confidence. However, he warned that the company’s expectation of over $60 billion in annual revenue relies on stable tariff and trade policies. If the external environment worsens, performance in the second half of the year may come under pressure.

Pfizer is now facing a dual challenge of gaps in its core pipeline and cost pressures. Its strategic layout in the cardiovascular metabolic field not only pertains to obesity treatment but also involves markets related to cardiovascular metabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases. Some analysts believe that quickly supplementing the product line through acquisitions or collaborations may be key to breaking the company's growth bottleneck. This move is seen as a proactive step to mitigate the impact of the Danuglipron setback and to strengthen Pfizer's position in the competitive pharmaceutical market.