TL;DR
Jeffrey Flier, former dean of Harvard Medical School, recounts his participation in one of the earliest commercial efforts to develop GLP‑1–based metabolic therapies beginning in the late 1980s. He says Pfizer, the main funder alongside California Biotechnology, abandoned the program around 1991 despite promising early results.
What happened
In an opinion piece, Jeffrey Flier describes joining a biotechnology effort launched after an invitation from John Baxter in 1987. With collaborators including Ron Kahn and Bruce Spiegelman, the group pursued metabolic-drug strategies — from novel insulin analogues and insulin-sensitizing agents to identifying molecules tied to obesity and investigating gut-derived factors such as incretins. Beginning in 1988, Flier says he was part of what he believes to be the earliest commercial push to develop GLP‑1 as a metabolic therapy. That program received major funding from Pfizer in partnership with California Biotechnology. According to Flier, Pfizer concluded around 1991 that the GLP‑1 approach was not worth continuing and dropped support, even though the early signals were encouraging. Flier emphasizes he is not claiming sole credit for discovery or later development of GLP‑1 drugs, and frames the episode as illustrative of how development decisions can alter therapeutic trajectories.
Why it matters
- Major pharmaceutical decisions can halt promising early-stage projects, affecting which therapies ultimately reach patients.
- Corporate evaluations and funding choices in the development phase shape the pace and direction of drug discovery.
- The episode underscores the gap that can exist between encouraging early data and choices made by industry funders.
- It highlights the role of academic–industry partnerships in spawning program ideas that may be abandoned or later succeed under different circumstances.
Key facts
- Jeffrey Flier is identified in the piece as the former dean of Harvard Medical School.
- John Baxter invited Flier to join a start-up effort in 1987 focused on metabolic disease.
- Flier worked with Harvard colleagues Ron Kahn and Bruce Spiegelman on the program.
- The team’s agenda included searching for insulin analogues, insulin sensitizers, and studying gut factors (incretins).
- Flier says he was involved from 1988 in what he believes was an early commercial effort to develop GLP‑1 for metabolic therapy.
- Pfizer, together with California Biotechnology, was the major funder of the work.
- Flier reports Pfizer abandoned the GLP‑1 effort around 1991 after deciding the approach was not worth pursuing.
- The GLP‑1 drug class later became a major medical and commercial success in the 2020s (as noted by Flier).
- Flier states he does not intend to claim sole credit for discovery or development of GLP‑1 therapies.
What to watch next
- Details of Pfizer’s internal assessment and the specific data that led to the 1991 decision are not confirmed in the source.
- Whether continuation of that specific program would have accelerated later GLP‑1 commercialization is not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- GLP‑1: Glucagon‑like peptide‑1, a hormone involved in glucose regulation and the target of a class of metabolic drugs.
- Incretins: Gut-derived hormones that enhance insulin secretion in response to food intake.
- Insulin sensitizer: A compound that improves the body’s response to insulin, often explored as a diabetes therapy.
- ob gene: A gene associated with regulation of body weight discovered in mouse models; referenced in the source as identified after the team’s early work.
Reader FAQ
Who wrote the recollection about Pfizer and early GLP‑1 work?
Jeffrey Flier, identified in the piece as the former dean of Harvard Medical School.
Did Pfizer fund the early GLP‑1 effort?
According to Flier, Pfizer was the major funder in partnership with California Biotechnology.
When did Pfizer reportedly drop the project?
Flier says Pfizer abandoned the GLP‑1 work around 1991.
Are the internal reasons for Pfizer’s decision documented in the piece?
Not confirmed in the source.
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
- Pfizer ended up passing on my GLP-1 work back in the early '90s (2024)
- Missing Out on GLP-1
- Did Pfizer's exit in the '90s cost them a GLP-1 stronghold?
- How GLP-1 Development Was Abandoned in 1990
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