Flagship enlists startup to seek obesity drugs for Pfizer

Flagship Pioneering has teamed up with biotechnology startup ProFound Therapeutics to explore potential drug candidates for obesity, a collaboration that Pfizer may later choose to advance. The partnership between Flagship and ProFound, which Flagship founded in 2022, marks the first drug discovery initiative since Flagship and Pfizer formed an alliance in July. Both companies have committed $50 million to develop 10 drug candidates, with Pfizer retaining the option to license or acquire them later.

This collaboration comes at a critical juncture for Pfizer, which has faced setbacks with its weight loss drugs. One candidate, lotiglipron, showed potential liver toxicity in trials, while another, danuglipron, caused high rates of gastrointestinal side effects, prompting Pfizer to shift from a twice-daily to a once-daily dosing regimen. Data on the once-daily dosage is anticipated later this year, which will be crucial for the drug's future. Pfizer also has another obesity drug in Phase 1 trials but has not disclosed its mechanism of action.

The partnership with Flagship could be a strategic move for Pfizer to identify other viable drug candidates. The broad alliance aims to develop 10 candidates that align with Pfizer's priorities. Flagship's contributions are managed through its Pioneering Medicines Initiative, which sifts through Flagship's portfolio companies to find promising innovations that they may not be able to advance independently. Flagship has engaged in similar collaborations with Novo and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

If any of the drugs developed through this alliance reach the market, Flagship and its associated entities, such as ProFound, could receive up to $700 million in milestone payments. ProFound is leveraging its ProFoundry platform to mine the translatome and identify novel proteins that could be developed into effective drugs. The startup aims to use this platform to discover protein-based treatments for obesity.

"This agreement, the first under our broader strategic partnership with Flagship, is designed to push the boundaries of science to potentially unlock new protein therapeutics for obesity by leveraging ProFound's proprietary discovery platform," said Charlotte Allerton, Pfizer's head of discovery and early development, in a statement on Wednesday.