TL;DR
Jeffrey Flier recounts his group's late-1980s effort to develop GLP-1–based metabolic therapies under a Pfizer–California Biotechnology alliance. Despite encouraging early findings, Pfizer exited the program around 1991 after deciding the approach was not worth pursuing.
What happened
In the late 1980s, Jeffrey Flier joined John Baxter and other researchers to launch a biotech effort focused on metabolic disease. Beginning in 1988, that team pursued several lines of work — including novel insulin analogues, insulin-sensitizing agents, searching for the protein behind obesity in genetically obese mice, and studying gut-derived factors such as incretins that affect insulin secretion. The program included what Flier describes as one of the earliest commercial attempts to develop GLP-1 as a metabolic therapy, with funding provided by Pfizer in partnership with California Biotechnology. Although Flier says the early results were highly promising, Pfizer decided to discontinue support around 1991, concluding the GLP-1 approach was not worth continuing. Flier frames the episode as a cautionary tale about decisions in drug development and explicitly disclaims any attempt to claim exclusive credit for GLP-1 discovery or development.
Why it matters
- Early corporate decisions can halt promising research before broader validation or later success is possible.
- The GLP-1 class became a major medical and commercial success by the 2020s, highlighting the risk of prematurely abandoning scientific avenues.
- Accounts like this illustrate how academic–industry collaborations and funding choices shape which therapeutic ideas advance.
- Understanding past development decisions can inform current R&D strategy, investor choices, and public expectations about drug discovery timelines.
Key facts
- Jeffrey Flier wrote the piece reflecting on a late-1980s research effort; he is identified in the source as a former dean of Harvard Medical School.
- John Baxter, a UCSF professor and founder of California Biotechnology, invited Flier to help create a startup focused on metabolic disease.
- Flier enlisted Harvard colleagues Ron Kahn and Bruce Spiegelman to work on the enterprise.
- Beginning in 1988, the group pursued GLP-1 development as part of a broader metabolic research program.
- Pfizer funded the GLP-1 work in alliance with California Biotechnology.
- According to Flier, Pfizer abandoned the GLP-1 therapeutic effort around 1991 after concluding it was not worth continuing.
- Flier states the early results from the program were 'extremely promising.'
- The source notes the GLP-1 drug class achieved significant medical and financial success in the 2020s.
What to watch next
- Whether Pfizer or California Biotechnology will publicly detail the internal reasons for discontinuing the program in 1991 — not confirmed in the source.
- Any archival release of data or lab notes from the late-1980s GLP-1 work that could shed light on the early findings — not confirmed in the source.
- Responses or follow-up commentary from other participants in the program or industry historians about lessons from the episode — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- GLP-1: Glucagon-like peptide-1, a gut-derived hormone that enhances insulin secretion and has been developed into therapies for metabolic conditions.
- Incretins: Hormones released from the gut after eating that stimulate insulin release and help regulate blood glucose.
- Insulin analogue: A modified form of insulin designed to alter properties such as onset, duration, or stability compared with natural insulin.
- Biotech startup: A small company, often formed around academic discoveries, that aims to translate biological research into commercial therapeutics or technologies.
- ob gene: A gene identified in the study of obesity in mice; historically linked to the discovery of leptin and regulation of body weight.
Reader FAQ
Did Pfizer fund the GLP-1 work described?
Yes. The source states Pfizer funded the program in alliance with California Biotechnology.
Did the team achieve promising results?
Flier characterizes the early results as extremely promising.
Why did Pfizer stop the program?
Flier says Pfizer concluded the GLP-1 approach was not worth continuing and abandoned the effort around 1991; further internal reasons are not detailed in the source.
Did Flier claim credit for GLP-1's later success?
No. Flier explicitly says he is not writing to claim credit for the discovery or development of GLP-1s.
FIRST OPINION PubMed has competition from Germany. That’s a very good thing By Sara Rubinelli, Rebecca Ivic, Kenneth H. Rabin, Lawrence O. Gostin, and Scott C. Ratzan STAT PLUS OPINION…
Sources
- How Pfizer ended up passing on my GLP-1 work back in the early '90s
- Did Pfizer's exit in the '90s cost them a GLP-1 stronghold?
- Pfizer Stopped Us From Getting Ozempic Decades Ago
- How GLP-1 Development Was Abandoned in 1990
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